Spare a thought for footballers, says Sibanda

Sports Reporter

FORMER Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda has lamented opportunities lost by local footballers in recent years due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown and suspension of the local association from international football.

Sibanda urged the Sport and Recreation Commission to “correct the wrongs with speed”, so that the country is admitted back into international football by world governing body Fifa.

“I am not against anybody but all I am saying is that let us look at the time that our footballers have lost in recent years to advance their careers and make a living.

“We have not played continuous football since Covid-19 hit the world in 2020, and up to now, we have not recovered and our suspension from Fifa last year means that we cannot participate in international football and our players are losing platforms to market themselves. When national teams are playing, both boys and girls, players and coaches are not only marketing themselves, but the country as well.”

Sibanda said footballers cannot make up for lost time due to Covid-19 lockdowns and the Zifa suspension, as they were getting older by each day. He added that the country was also losing out on yearly funding from Fifa and Confederation of African Football, and recently lost out on World Cup royalties.

“Players who were supposed to play for the Young Warriors at under 16 level in 2020 are now close to hitting the 20 years mark now. Those who were 26 years old then are close to 30 years now and are wrapping up their careers. So while we sit in boardrooms and talk about the suspension and football reforms, let us not forget the plight of the poor footballer whose life is completely dependent on football,” he said.

He said there was need for football stakeholders to find common ground so that the country is readmitted into the Fifa world football family.

“We are playing localised football now. I have no problem with that. But on the other hand, there is a committee that Fifa is still recognising and has set conditions for us to get the suspension lifted. So what do we do? Do we continue with localised structures and localised football, or we follow what Fifa is saying and we get the suspension lifted? This is not about personalities but about getting our football to move forward so that our footballers get their due recognition like their counterparts in other countries,” he said.

Sibanda added that the SRC has to engage owners of stadiums around the country so that they spruce them up and ensure that they meet Fifa standards.

“Someone can say Zifa is contradicting itself by quoting Fifa and Caf statutes when it comes to referees and coaching standards and qualifications since we are not part of Fifa as it is, but maybe they are preparing for the future. In the same vein, the SRC has to engage owners of stadiums around the country to spruce them up so that they meet international standards so that by the time our suspension is lifted, we have stadiums which can host the national teams.”