The Sunday News
Phineas Mukwazo
THE hullabaloo at Premier Soccer League outfit Yadah FC owned by Prophet Walter Magaya took centre stage in our football circles this past weeks.
It also started when the prophet suspended his team’s technical staff following a 0-1 loss to Harare giants Dynamos alleging that then head coach Jairos Tapera had defied his directive to field players of his own choice.
Tapera is also said to have made changes to the squad given to him by his boss Magaya for the Chapungu match, claiming to have received a dream and they went on to draw 1-1 with the Gweru side. Without the coaches the Harare side went on to receive a 7-2 bashing at the hands of fellow league debutants Bantu Rovers.
Whichever way one looks at it, Magaya’s behaviour is an affront not only to the dictates of the Fifa Fair Play concept, but the rules and regulations vis a vis breaching club licensing provisions by engaging in a league assignment without qualified technical personnel.
Magaya should be reminded that football is the world’s “greatest’’ game and it needs everybody’s help to maintain its greatness, and that all the game’s stakeholders including “club owners”, administrators et al should think of football’s interests before their own.
All, including the likes of Magaya, should think about how their actions may affect the image of the game, and also encourage others to watch fairly and above all to be good ambassadors of the most popular sport in the world.
The Fifa equivalent of the “Bible’’ also states that if one’s team loses, and those at the receiving end feel shortchanged in any way, for the good of the game, they should take it in their stride. After all it is only a game which the ideal should be, “we win some, we lose some’’.
Dear Walter, let’s learn to lose graciously as good losers earn respect than bad losers. Do not seek excuses for defeat, genuine reasons will always be self-evident in a game of football. Instead of blaming anyone else, we should be determined to do better next time.
The challenge to all those who love the “most” beautiful game is, let’s not be ashamed to stand up to anybody who engages in unacceptable behaviour. Unfortunately, it becomes the likes of you Man of God.
It is better for us who love this “beautiful game’’ to expose you and your ilk, and if possible have you removed from our midst, before any further damage to our clubs and above all to the image of the game itself.
Misguided persons who are trying to spoil our sport should be denounced before they can persuade somebody else to say YES to their shenanigans.
Finally football coaches, referees, and even players should be respected as professionals employed to execute their duties in football, interfering with these is tantamount to bringing the game of football into disrepute.
