A new dawn is on the horizon for Zimbabwean football after the election of a new board to spearhead the Zimbabwe Football Association [ZIFA].
Having produced the finest players in Africa, such as Peter Ndlovu, Khama Billiat and Knowledge Musona, Zimbabwe has been a pale shadow of itself owing to poor administration.
Incessant boardroom fights, mismanagement of funds and corruption have been at the core of Zimbabwean football struggles.
NQOBILE MAGWIZI ELECTED AS THE NEW ZIMBABWE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT
However, there is renewed hope following the election of a new board led by Harare businessman and football administrator, Nqobile Magwizi.
He takes over from the Normalisation Committee that had been holding fort at the association since July 2023. Magwizi was voted into office as the new ZIFA president on Saturday at the association’s watershed held in Harare.
He moves into office as the first president since the painful 18-month FIFA ban, signifying a fresh start for the country. Magwizi shrugged off competition from four other candidates that remained after a strict integrity test held by ZIFA.
These are Phillimon Machana, Marshall Gore, Makwinji Soma-Phiri and Twine Phiri. One of the aspirants Martin Kweza pulled out of the race less than two hours from the polls. Magwizi had a landslide victory after garnering 61 votes while Machana got six votes. Twine Phiri got four votes while Gore had one vote. Soma-Phiri had no vote.
Plausibly, Magwizi enters into office having already been supporting big teams in the elite league. These include the country’s traditional giants Highlanders and Dynamos. Magwizi has also been leading the refurbishment of the National Sports Stadium. Zimbabwe has had international matches played away from home due to the lack of a CAF-approved stadium.
Magwizi brings a wealth of experience as a development finance practitioner. He has been leading as a transformative leader in the sports and business sector. In addition, he will be deputised by veteran administrator Kenny Ndebele and Loveness Mukura as vice presidents.
The board also consists of six ordinary members namely Professor Thomas Marambanyika and Davidson Muchena. Tafadzwa Benza, Kudzai Kadzombe, Prof Thomas Marambanyika and Alice Zewure complete the list.
Meanwhile, former PSL stars Benjani Mwaruwari and Alois Bunjira failed in the bid to be part of the new board. Mwaruwari failed the integrity test before the elections while Bunjira failed to garner enough votes.
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