The Sunday News
Allan Foti, Sport Correspondent
LAST Sunday was a historic one for Zimbabwean football. And this is by no means an easy feat — oft times, ours has been a history full of ridiculousness iced with the comic and measured in ludicrity.
But last Sunday at the now iconic National Sports Stadium in Harare, tens of thousands of football fans (and PHD congregants) gathered to watch 90 plus minutes of a dream Warriors’ Legends v Barcelona Legends.
Apart from the side of seeing a coterie of former football greats from the Spanish La Liga and our very own Madindas and Benjanis and Gidizas, this melting pot of “football fans” also got the privilege of being part of the “main event”: “Warriors Legend” Walter Magaya getting a maybe ten-minute run about with the best of them.
Now, while thousands of his followers screamed their lungs out to show their adoration for “Papa”, thousands more openly (perhaps a tad embarrassing to do in front of our Barcelona visitors) booed his entry onto the playing field bringing to the fore the steady, mostly quiet and furtive murmurings that have now reached a steady crescendo in the middle of our football loving nation.
Zimbabwe has been split down the middle as debate rages on about whether or not Magaya should have been playing last Sunday. In fact, the debate has since moved up a notch with many also questioning what they believe to an influential role in his involvement in the game: from his own Yadah FC to the Warriors (the ones that still play).
Magaya’s rise to the high table and a seat among football royalty has been propelled by his financial and material benevolence to an ever begging Zifa.
Time and time again, Magaya has had to come to the rescue either through cash donations or by availing his hotel and training facilities to the national association.
The good Man of God sponsors a soccer team in the Premier Soccer League and has been accused of usurping his qualified coaches’ powers and giving his “anointed” technical input from training programmes to team selection (unproven though).
Although a proven fanatic of the game, many believe that he is using his money and influence to coach despite not having the requisite qualifications to do so. Others also believe he is using the same influence and financial muscle to seize control of the sport in the country.
Another train of thought is that he is taking advantage of Zifa’s “perma-broke” situation to fulfil his own dreams, at the expense of a nation that loves the game and takes his very seriously. The shoal of fish believes that Magaya and the powers that be at Zifa who allow him free reign in the game, are making a mockery of the world’s most beautiful game.
But sober neutrals believe that he is just a man who loves the game and is willing to help when ever called upon and should not be bashed for his passion and his efforts to better football in the country. They believe that Magaya has no ulterior motives behind his involvement in the game, save for what they term an “overzealous streak”.
These self-attested liberals and pragmatics shrug their shoulders and say the damned point when the Magaya argument arises: his money, his game! So after all has been said and done the critical question is: Magaya or no Magaya? -@AllanFoti
