The Sunday News
THE Government set the foundation for the development of football soon after the attainment of our hard won Independence by appointing the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) executive in 1980.
The interim committee, which was appointed by then Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Joice Mujuru, was initially headed by Moroni Mushambadope. Mushambadope was replaced by the legendary Nelson “Jumbo Jet’’ Chirwa, three months later.
Other members of the committee included the vice chairman Douglas Mkhwananzi, Peter Nemapare (secretary), Frank Valdemarca (treasurer), Ishmael Mussa (fixtures secretary) with Ndumiso Gumede and Clifford Chiripamberi being the two committee members.
One of the surviving members of that committee is Gumede whose love for the game has seen him holding different positions at Zifa over the years with the most recent being the vice presidency from 2010 to 2014.
The former Highlanders chairman said they took up their appointment with glee and were happy to be coming in at a time when the country was just being re-admitted back into the international football community, thanks to the country’s hard won independence.
“It was a period of great excitement for the country because Rhodesia had been suspended by Fifa following the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965 by the then colonial administration led by Ian Smith,’’ said Gumede.
“Just prior to independence the country had been involved in several matches against South Africa but we had to steer clear of that country because it had been banned by Fifa hence we waited for the lifting of our suspension.
“However, there was great euphoria from all quarters of the country with our return to playing against other countries and being able to send a team as a country to international tournaments.”
Gumede said the then ministry of sport with the full blessings of the Government took it upon itself to send the whole Zifa executive to the Confederation of African Football offices in Cairo, Egypt for a familiarisation tour and to enable them to learn the ropes of football administration.
The trip, which was fully-funded by Government, saw them coming to terms with Caf and Fifa regulations enabling them to effectively create proper football structures at home and they also redrafted the Zifa constitution to ensure it was in conformity with the Caf and Fifa statutes.
Following their return from Egypt, Gumede said they held several workshops on administration to ensure the development and running of the game would unfold smoothly.
“The workshops enabled us to get people involved in football on the same wavelength as us, the executive. We extended an invitation to Caf who came into the country and held several workshops, particularly related to refereeing and on that front we had to fast track several young referees into the course and I am glad we managed to produce the likes of Felix Tangawarima and Wilfred Mukuna,’’ said Gumede, adding that would not have been possible without Independence.
“The course they went through was shorter and meant to graduate them quickly into the field. We were lucky we had such talented youngsters and their work in the pitch over the years and positions they hold now clearly show how able they were,” he said.
Gumede, who is Highlanders’ chief executive officer, said with prudent planning and administration that executive was able to buy properties for Zifa that include current head office at 53 Livingstone Avenue in Harare and 39a Fife Street office in Bulawayo. He, however, said it was unfortunate that the two properties were now under threat due to the country’s football governing body’s debts.
“At the time we were operating from offices close to Bhadella Wholesalers in Harare and soon after acquiring the properties, we received a visit from then Fifa president João Havelange who was deeply impressed by our acquisitions and he shed tears saying only if other African associations would follow in our footsteps,’’ reminisced Gumede.
“He (Havelange) showed his appreciation by sending us various office equipment that included copiers and typewriters as soon as he arrived in Switzerland,” he said.
The former Zifa chief executive officer said during their time in office, the economy was in the hands of people who understood the responsibility of the corporate world towards sport and one did not need to send a proposal or begging bowl as companies came flocking to Zifa offices with funding initiatives and the body even had the luxury of rejecting some of the sponsorship.
He said it was unfortunate that now Zifa and other sporting bodies had to carry begging bowls to companies for them to receive any funding but still they were struggling to attract funding.
Gumede, while declining to comment much on the present state of football administration, said he expected it to have improved since during their days they operated the association on a part time basis, after working hours or on weekends. The interim committee, whose tenure was not set came to an end in 1983 when football stakeholders clamoured for elections to give them a legitimate term and the whole executive was retained besides Gumede who was unfortunately booted out and he was replaced with Gibson Homela.
