Sponsorship Woes Stifling Zimbabwe’s Soccer

Published: November 18, 2009

(Analysis)The Zimbabwe national soccer team has tumbled to a pathetic 120th place on the Fifa rankings after the Warriors failed to qualify for both 2010 World Cup/Nations Cup when it was eliminated in the early stages of the tournaments.

The Zimbabwe Premier soccer league also suffered a massive exodus of local talent who moved in droves to South Africa in search of greener pastures.The South African league can not match Zimbabwean league in terms of standard but its remuneration is better than Zimbabwe’s.However, the warriors managed to rekindle the confidence of the soccer fraternity in Zimbabwe when they won the 2009 Cosafa Cup after beating Zambia 3-1.

Lack of proper financial support to the Premier League

Out of the 16 teams in the premiership league, 12 are individually owned and the club owners are struggling to fork out money to finance their teams when playing league games.They have to meet transport and accommodation costs among other expenses in the game of football from their pockets.Since the beginning of the premiership soccer season, the league was running without a sponsor until the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe came to its rescue at the eleventh hour.

Individuals who own clubs in the league expect something at the end of the season in order to return back their financial resources which they would have forked out to finance soccer business at their teams.Failure by Zifa and PSL administration to lure back and find consistent sponsors to finance the top flight league is hampering the competitiveness and growth of the premier soccer league.The soccer administrators in the country should emulate the South African Premier League which finances and meets expenses of the teams in that league.

What happened to the awards which used to be in the premier league?In the 90’s awards were galore in the premiership league namely the player of the month, coach of the month, goalkeeper of the month and top goalscorer of the month awards just to mention a few.These awards came with cash packages among other things.These awards used to motivate players and groom talent as well since players would compete for the awards and fully commit themselves to the game.While it should be appreciated that the BancABC Super 8r Cup which was won by Lengthens this season but the sponsorship is not enough and the sponsorships should mostly be targeted on the players as opposed to the clubs.

Visiting German coach reiterated for eradication of the soccer malady

Recently, a German coach Klaus Dieter Pagels who was invited by Zifa to access soccer facilities and talent in Zimbabwe reiterated that lack of sponsorship and equipment is hampering the development of football in the country despite the vast soccer talent in the country.The administrators of Zimbabwean football should commit themselves to the soccer business and shun the norm of power struggles in their offices.Corruption and maladministration should also be eradicated if the game of soccer is to grow and become competitive globally.

When players receive rotten peanuts

Due to the lack of sponsorship, players who ply their trade in the local premier league are earning meagre and pathetic incomes.Most players have flocked to Mzansi in droves in search of greener pastures.That is why there is a quite a number of talented players who are enough to create “another premier league” in the neighbouring countries.

Enjoying the sweet brew in Mzansi

Even though the South African League does not outweigh Zimbabwe’s standard, the power of the rand has lured the crema de la crema of Zimbabwean football.Some of the talented players are ending up plying their trade in mediocre division leagues in the neighbouring countries thereby “committing suicide to their careers”.Surely, something must be done to the welfare of league players before it is too late.

Hullabaloo at ZIFA House

The administration at Zifa had failed to pay Warriors coach Sunday Chidzambwa his dues despite his splendid work.The coach has not yet received his salary since the beginning of the year.Nyatanga had begged the soccer fraternity to chip in with funds to help them to pay the coach.In what appears as a Nigerian movie, the soccer administrative body sent and finance a trip to Zurich, Switzerland which houses the Fifa headquarters.The trio which went to Zurich three weeks ago include Wellington Nyatanga, Tendai Madzorera and lawyer Ralf Maganga.The trio were sent to ’seek guidance and advice over squabbles surrounding next year Zifa elections from Fifa’.

It is alleged that Nyatanga and his administration at Zifa were arguing over who should retire first from office.However, the trio came with their tails between their legs when Fifa ruled that every administrator who was voted four years ago had to go for elections.The Zifa elections will be held in March 2010.The Zifa administrators were against the decision to hold elections in March 2010 as stipulated in the Zifa constitution.They were arguing that if a new team is voted into office in March 2010 chances are high that the already 2010 World Cup preparations and programmes will be affected.This is power hungry indeed as the new administration will takeover from where they would have left.

The soccer fraternity had expressed concern over the failure by Zifa to pay Chidzambwa his dues while they opt to finance an expensive and useless trip to Zurich to seek help from Fifa to settle their internal power squabbles.At the moment Zifa is moving with a begging basket to finance the Warriors to fly to Kenya this month for the 2009 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup Tournament.Is Zifa bankruptcy?

Failure to nurture talent at grassroots level

Failure by the soccer administrator in Zimbabwe to hunt and raise growing and abundant talent in the country is another hindrance that is affecting the growth of the game of football.I think the soccer administrators should finance and sponsor small soccer tournaments in schools especially in the rural areas where there is vast talent which is always dying a natural death without being realized.The soccer kids need small soccer kits and the setting up of soccer clinics at schools nationwide as they are the soccer stars of tomorrow.I think its high time the soccer administrators start to build soccer talent from grassroots level if soccer is to develop in Zimbabwe.Nobody is able to build a house from the roof, it should start from foundation level.

Financial support and sponsorship of soccer in Zimbabwe is needed earlier that today if soccer is to thrive in the country.The soccer administrators and the soccer fraternity should work together and seek strategies to finance and sponsor in order to develop the game of football in the country.The maladministration and squabbles within the ‘camps’ should not be allowed to affect the smooth running of the game of football in Zimbabwe.If sponsorship start pouring in the Zimbabwe’s football, failure to qualify for world cup and nations will become a thing of the past. (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

One Comment on "Sponsorship Woes Stifling Zimbabwe’s Soccer"

bhinya on Tue, 1st Dec 2009 8:15 am

Why blaming Zifa pese-pese

Sponsorship Woes Stifling Zimbabwe’s Soccer

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