The Sunday News
. . . How local football has changed since independence
THE exploits of the senior national team which finished in the top four at the 2014 African Nations Championships in South Africa saw Zimbabwe’s top flight league, being touted as one of the best on the continent.
The Zimbabwe Premier League was founded in 1980, after the country’s internationally recognised independence. This was the successor to the Rhodesian National Football League, which started in 1962.
Originally governed by the Zimbabwe Football Association, which itself was renamed from the Rhodesian Football Association, the modern-day PSL was created in 1993, as an autonomous body.
While the history of the modern-day PSL has not been smooth sailing, there have been several milestones that have been achieved by the league from instilling professionalism in clubs and managing to get the game aired to several African countries on SuperSport channels, all this thanks to the advent of independence.
Former PSL chairman, Tendai Madzorera said the league, formed in 1993, has come a long way in various aspects and there was a vast improvement to the league that was run by Zifa.
Madzorera, who has played various roles in the country’s football administration, said the fight waged by the late Morrison Sifelani, who was the first PSL chairman and Chris Sibanda (first secretary general) to create an independent administration running the PSL has proved fruitful as it changed the landscape of the local game and introduced professionalism to the game.
He said at the time there was a realisation that Zifa had its hands full and the league was suffering because the PSL was not being given the attention it deserved.
“As the flagship football league in the country there was a feeling among teams that they were getting a raw deal in terms of administration. Simple things like fixtures were a problem as a team would only know on Tuesday which team they are playing but now the fixtures calendar is released at the beginning of the year,’’ said Madzorera.
“Teams realised that Zifa had a lot on their plate and there was a worldwide trend going on with top flight leagues becoming independent in various countries and this worked in the teams’ favour when they argued to have their own independent league.
“While there was a bit of resistance then from Zifa because people had become entrenched in their positions and there was the issue of gate takings and affiliation fees, however, sense prevailed everyone agreed to the creation of the PSL and our football has developed as a product.”
Madzorera was at the helm from 2002 to 2005. Mr T as Madzorera is popularly known, said the move was a wise decision and it has reaped fruits with the PSL now one of the most professionally run leagues in Africa.
Madzorera was the AmaZulu secretary at the team’s formation in 1995. He moved to the PSL as vice chairman and then was made chairman in 2002 up until 2005.
He said the current chief executive officer; Kennedy Ndebele was doing a good job and should be commended for his efforts, adding that more administrators of his (Ndebele’s) calibre should emerge to occupy various football positions.
Former Zifa vice president, Ndumiso Gumede said he was in Botswana at the time the move to turn the Zifa-run Super League into an independent PSL but feels there have been marked improvements in football because of the change.
“At the time there were both positives and negatives as the entity that had enabled Zifa to buy properties was being yanked away from it but then clubs were being short-changed because Zifa had a lot on its plate and couldn’t effectively do justice in running an elite league,’’ said Gumede.
“However, credit goes to those behind the move, Sibanda and Sifelani, although at the time it was a unilateral move and caused friction between PSL and Zifa but the fact that there are very few elite leagues being still run by football associations vindicates those who forced the breakaway,” he added.
Gumede said there has been a marked improvement in the running of the game since that era with clubs taking on a more professional approach and at least acquiring offices.
“While they might not be so lucky to have buildings like Highlanders, I think most clubs now have offices unlike before when some club officials met in houses and discussed club business over tea while some had briefcase offices,” he said.
Ndebele said the PSL will continue to be the face of Zimbabwean football with every effort being made to ensure the game was run professionally.
He said the league has produced several players over the years that have gone on to play in various leagues abroad.
Ndebele, who is also the former Highlanders chairman of Highlanders, said the introduction of the African Nations Championships competition by Caf had brought renewed vigor to local leagues with hidden talent being unearthed during such tournaments.
“It is a plus for the league because it gives great opportunities to players plying their trade in local leagues an opportunity to shine on a bigger stage and showcase their talent. I believe Zimbabwe’s good showing that saw them exit the 2014 Chan tourney held in South Africa at the semifinal stage revealed the strength of our league,” he said.
Ndebele said the independence of clubs has enabled them to unlock the value of their teams through various marketing campaigns with the growth of the local league’s audience due to the broadcasting deal signed with pan-African broadcaster, Supersport.
He said opportunities for growth were still numerous and it was up to the clubs to exploit the available opportunities.
Ndebele said they were looking to local authorities to improve the conditions of sporting infrastructure and was proud there was no white elephant in terms of football stadia as they were all being put to full use.
“Another major development that highlights the opportunities that football can present is the construction of a stadium in Tsholotsho. This is a rural setup and few dreamt of topflight football being played in that area with most only viewing it as a backward place full of donkeys, cows and scotch carts but it will now be playing host to top flight football.”
While local football has always attracted sponsorship the harsh economic climate that has affected Zimbabwe over the past decade did not spare the most beautiful game, with clubs walking empty handed for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Ndebele said it was unfortunate the up and coming fan was seemingly too emotionally attached to the game hence the impatience and resultant crowd trouble that is facing the PSL at the moment.
“We never had a culture of violence or throwing objects into the field of play and we would like to appeal to the born-frees to take a cue from the older fans and accept that in any match there can either be a lose, win or draw.
“Football should not be used to divide us but has always been used to draw communities together all over the world,” said Ndebele.
Some of the milestones achieved in the league include reigning champions, Dynamos’ feat in reaching the 1998 finals of the Caf Champions. Although Dynamos fell to Ghana’s Asec Mimosa, the fairytale run has seen Dynamos, who hold the highest number of PSL titles, being ranked among the best in Africa. Their run in 2008 that saw them being knocked out in the semifinals has also weighed in on the rankings.
Thanks to self determination, the PSL has produced players that have gone on to play in the world’s most popular league, the English Premier League such as Peter Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari. Others have made it in European Leagues such as Harlington Shereni, Zenzo Moyo, the late Adam Ndlovu, Moses Chunga and recently Vusa Nyoni and Honour Gombami, among others.
Madzorera said lack of high scoring strikers in the league in recent years could be attributed to lack of proper junior football development while the high turnover of coaches also impacts negatively on the growth of players.
