Sports / Soccer
Peter Ndlovu backs Kasinauyo
28 Nov 2015 at 08:03hrs | Views
WARRIORS legend Peter Ndlovu has thrown his weight behind his former Zimbabwe teammate Edzai Kasinauyo in his bid to become a ZIFA board member and urged the councillors to embrace former players in the association's top leadership.
Ndlovu flew into Harare yesterday morning to lend his support to Kasinauyo who has resolved to contest for a post on the ZIFA board that will be elected into office on December 5.
The Mamelodi Sundowns team manager will also grace the inaugural Edzai Kasinauyo Youth Games in Guruve today and tomorrow at which the acting Minister of Sport and Recreation Patrick Zhuwawo is expected to be the guest of honour.
Thirty-two schools from the Guruve districts will field boys and girls teams in the Under-13 and Under-15 categories as they battle for honours in the two-day jamboree.
Ndlovu, who also paid tribute to Kasinauyo for investing in a talent identification tournament, has regularly called upon all the game's stakeholders, including the media, to take collective responsibility for Zimbabwe's success or failure in football.
Yesterday the former Coventry City, Birmingham and Sheffield United forward repeated the call and applauded Kasinauyo for choosing to take an administrative role in the game and implored the game's stakeholders to support the initiative.
Ndlovu said the fact that Kasinauyo had broken with tradition of venturing into coaching upon retirement and engaging in business and administration needed to be supported in order to have divergence of views within the ZIFA board.
At the end of his playing career that began at CAPS United, went via Arcadia United and Blackpool before moving to South African clubs Ajax Cape Town, Hellenic and Moroka Swallows, Kasinauyo chose to venture into sportswear business and management of players.
Kasinauyo said he decided to run for the post because he wanted to contribute to the restoration of football in Zimbabwe drawing from the experiences he gained during and after his playing career.
Yesterday he received a crucial vote of confidence from his former captain Ndlovu as well as Northern Region chairman Willard Manyengavana who also attended the launch of the youth games where Kasinauyo tabled his 11-point plan anchored on the development of the game.
Although Ndlovu might not be part of the ZIFA Assembly that chooses the executive, the decorated Zimbabwe legend, who led the Warriors on the two occasions they appeared at the African Cup of Nations in 2004 and 2006 and won the COSAFA Cup with them in 2003, remains an influential figure in the national game.
Ndlovu said Kasinauyo has taken a big step forward by leading the way for former footballers who have always been criticised for staying aloof when the game was dying.
"Why I think Edzai is ideal for this post is because most of us (ex-players) when we end our football careers we want to be coaches and concentrate on stuff like that," said Ndlovu.
"But I'm glad he has taken this platform because we must have someone who has played football into the board so that he can bring understanding, the link and the balance between the playing staff and the leadership.
"There is nothing wrong with the leadership to make the policies and all that stuff. But we also need to have somebody who understands the dynamics of the game so that if they make policies that will make the team suffer then that person should be able to stand up and say no we can't take this direction for the national teams to start producing results.
"So the issues can be stopped at board level. He can argue in a respectable way obviously so that we gain what we want to gain by the results because we don't know what is eating us right now and we are pointing fingers. It doesn't matter if we get $100 million we still get beaten because the policies and the things (we are doing) are not right."
Driven by his strong passion for development Kasinauyo, who turned 40 in March this year, believes the only way Zimbabwean football could solve their problems is by going back to grassroots.
He hopes to push the agenda if he is elected into office when the councillors gather in Harare next Saturday for the poll.
Kasinauyo said Zimbabwe has not been growing as a football nation in the last decade.
He feels it's sad Zimbabwe are struggling to qualify for tournaments every year when they should be talking about winning big things such as the Africa Cup of Nations.
According to him, "football has no short-cuts" hence the need for proper planning.
Kasinauyo said he felt it was time he jumps into the ship and make his contributions from inside having been involved with grassroots development for many years now including the VW tournament for which Ndlovu and he are the Zimbabwe ambassadors.
"Everything I got including friends and associates came through football and looking at the situation within the country I think it will be very unfair for people like us just to stand by and read in the newspapers and comment from a distance.
"That's why I have decided to say it's time to come in and contribute at a bigger picture which serves the country and not things which serve the individual.
"If you look at the past activities that we have done, they are things which benefit only a small section of the country but the problems which we are having are a national issue where the only way we can be able to contribute is by being part of ZIFA," said Kasinauyo.
Kasinauyo is promoting an 11-point development game plan that encompasses youth development, women's football, men's football, development projects, national teams, Premier Soccer League, Five-a-side, beach football, former players, infrastructure and football marketing and development.
Manyengavana said although the councillors in the ZIFA assembly had coming for some criticism he believes they know what direction they want football to take and pleaded with the game's stakeholders to only judge them only after the elections.
Ndlovu flew into Harare yesterday morning to lend his support to Kasinauyo who has resolved to contest for a post on the ZIFA board that will be elected into office on December 5.
The Mamelodi Sundowns team manager will also grace the inaugural Edzai Kasinauyo Youth Games in Guruve today and tomorrow at which the acting Minister of Sport and Recreation Patrick Zhuwawo is expected to be the guest of honour.
Thirty-two schools from the Guruve districts will field boys and girls teams in the Under-13 and Under-15 categories as they battle for honours in the two-day jamboree.
Ndlovu, who also paid tribute to Kasinauyo for investing in a talent identification tournament, has regularly called upon all the game's stakeholders, including the media, to take collective responsibility for Zimbabwe's success or failure in football.
Yesterday the former Coventry City, Birmingham and Sheffield United forward repeated the call and applauded Kasinauyo for choosing to take an administrative role in the game and implored the game's stakeholders to support the initiative.
Ndlovu said the fact that Kasinauyo had broken with tradition of venturing into coaching upon retirement and engaging in business and administration needed to be supported in order to have divergence of views within the ZIFA board.
At the end of his playing career that began at CAPS United, went via Arcadia United and Blackpool before moving to South African clubs Ajax Cape Town, Hellenic and Moroka Swallows, Kasinauyo chose to venture into sportswear business and management of players.
Kasinauyo said he decided to run for the post because he wanted to contribute to the restoration of football in Zimbabwe drawing from the experiences he gained during and after his playing career.
Yesterday he received a crucial vote of confidence from his former captain Ndlovu as well as Northern Region chairman Willard Manyengavana who also attended the launch of the youth games where Kasinauyo tabled his 11-point plan anchored on the development of the game.
Although Ndlovu might not be part of the ZIFA Assembly that chooses the executive, the decorated Zimbabwe legend, who led the Warriors on the two occasions they appeared at the African Cup of Nations in 2004 and 2006 and won the COSAFA Cup with them in 2003, remains an influential figure in the national game.
Ndlovu said Kasinauyo has taken a big step forward by leading the way for former footballers who have always been criticised for staying aloof when the game was dying.
"Why I think Edzai is ideal for this post is because most of us (ex-players) when we end our football careers we want to be coaches and concentrate on stuff like that," said Ndlovu.
"But I'm glad he has taken this platform because we must have someone who has played football into the board so that he can bring understanding, the link and the balance between the playing staff and the leadership.
"There is nothing wrong with the leadership to make the policies and all that stuff. But we also need to have somebody who understands the dynamics of the game so that if they make policies that will make the team suffer then that person should be able to stand up and say no we can't take this direction for the national teams to start producing results.
"So the issues can be stopped at board level. He can argue in a respectable way obviously so that we gain what we want to gain by the results because we don't know what is eating us right now and we are pointing fingers. It doesn't matter if we get $100 million we still get beaten because the policies and the things (we are doing) are not right."
Driven by his strong passion for development Kasinauyo, who turned 40 in March this year, believes the only way Zimbabwean football could solve their problems is by going back to grassroots.
He hopes to push the agenda if he is elected into office when the councillors gather in Harare next Saturday for the poll.
Kasinauyo said Zimbabwe has not been growing as a football nation in the last decade.
He feels it's sad Zimbabwe are struggling to qualify for tournaments every year when they should be talking about winning big things such as the Africa Cup of Nations.
According to him, "football has no short-cuts" hence the need for proper planning.
Kasinauyo said he felt it was time he jumps into the ship and make his contributions from inside having been involved with grassroots development for many years now including the VW tournament for which Ndlovu and he are the Zimbabwe ambassadors.
"Everything I got including friends and associates came through football and looking at the situation within the country I think it will be very unfair for people like us just to stand by and read in the newspapers and comment from a distance.
"That's why I have decided to say it's time to come in and contribute at a bigger picture which serves the country and not things which serve the individual.
"If you look at the past activities that we have done, they are things which benefit only a small section of the country but the problems which we are having are a national issue where the only way we can be able to contribute is by being part of ZIFA," said Kasinauyo.
Kasinauyo is promoting an 11-point development game plan that encompasses youth development, women's football, men's football, development projects, national teams, Premier Soccer League, Five-a-side, beach football, former players, infrastructure and football marketing and development.
Manyengavana said although the councillors in the ZIFA assembly had coming for some criticism he believes they know what direction they want football to take and pleaded with the game's stakeholders to only judge them only after the elections.
Source - the herald
