MARYLAND - Former Dynamos chairperson, Lincoln Mutasa, who has been appointed to lead a soccer Normalization Committee to revive soccer in Zimbabwe, says they will push hard to ensure that the country returns with dignity to international football after almost two years in the wilderness.
Speaking at the official unveiling of members of the FIFA-appointed Committee, Mutasa, an accountant, said, “I’m highly inspired by the team that has been put together because it has got wealth of experience both in the men’s game and in the women’s game and the technocrats that have been allowed to surround us.
“I feel confident that we will be able to work well together as a team and try and meet the clear mandate that FIFA has tasked us with. We are a team and the secret behind any success is generally team work.”
Mutasa further said they will be “very happy and delighted and feel successful if after out tenure we would have set the platform for this country to achieve consistently getting to the World Cups. That to me I always feel is the ultimate aim of any footballer and any football team is to try and play at the highest level.”
He urged all stakeholders, including coaches, players, sponsors and soccer lovers to assist them in reviving local football.
Other members of the Normalization Committee are Mighty Warriors mentor Rosemary Mugadza, former Highlanders player Sikhumbuzo Ndebele and lawyer Nyasha Sanyamandwe.
FIFA head of development programs in Africa, Solomon Mudenge, said the soccer governing body did a lot to ensure that Zimbabwe returned to international football following a fallout between the ZIFA Board led by Felton Kamambo and the Zimbabwe Sports and Recreation Commission.
Mudenge, who noted that FIFA regularly engages governments on soccer issues, said, “Recently we were at the African Union and Zimbabwe was there and so this notion that FIFA doesn’t talk to governments does not seem to be correct.”
FIFA, which also consulted the Confederation of Africa Football Associations, Confederation of African Football and other soccer bodies on the Zimbabwe crisis, strongly opposes government interference in soccer affairs.
COSAFA representative, Ralph Nkomo, believes that the unbanning of Zimbabwe will revive footballers’ dreams of playing competitive soccer at home and in some top leagues worldwide.
Nkomo said, “We took it upon ourselves to push that Zimbabwe comes back into the family fold. In life, you open the window for fresh air, if mosquitoes come in it doesn’t mean fresh air is back. That what happens. There have been things that happened and we do not want to talk about it. We as COSAFA just want kids that were 16 two years ago that have missed two years of international football, some of them could have signed (for teams) to overseas soccer playing countries, some of them could have been playing professional (soccer, but they couldn’t because we were suspended. That all the past now.
“From now onwards as COSAFA our dream is for Zimbabwe to take its rightful place. This country has so much talent, human capital and if we get out act right our dream is to see Zimbabwe qualifying for the 2026 World Cup of which we are in the draw for it tomorrow (Wednesday).”
Sports Minister and former Zimbabwean swimming sensation, Kirsty Coventry, shed tears of joy following the announcement of a Normalization Committee to run soccer in Zimbabwe.
Coventry said the country would in earnest start preparing for international soccer competitions.
“The works are ongoing. We will continue with that. We have had some initial conversations with FIFA representatives in terms of the next steps. They would like to see some of those steps in writing which as the minister responsible we will do and deliver that through to the SRC (Sport and Recreation Commission) which will then pass it on to FIFA in terms of the commitments that’s been made with this feasibility study that is being undertaken.
“That feasibility study is being undertaken with the company, South African legitimate company, that built the soccer stadia and renovated the soccer stadia for the World Cup in 2010. So that’s where the expertise is coming in.”
Former ZIFA vice chairperson, Omega Sibanda, was among Zimbabweans who praised ZIFA for tackling the soccer crisis in Zimbabwe despite his reservations on how they addressed the issue.
Sibanda said, “It’s a welcome development what has happened to Zimbabwean football though a bad precedence has been set in that a Normalization Committee has been put. FIFA was supposed to put their foot down and ask for elections immediately using the same executive. I don’t mind. But now that they have done it, it’s a step in the right direction. Let’s appreciate it, let’s accept that something has happened which will make a change to our football and which will make football come back to the people of Zimbabwe.”
Sibanda said the Normalization Committee has people that are capable of achieving FIFA’s goals in reviving soccer in Zimbabwe.
“But what I expected was the inclusion of retired football administrators and lawyers of repute in terms of football statues. We have got such lawyers who can do a better job. I’m not saying this lawyer who has been appointed can’t do a good job. She’s OK. I wanted something which was going to be watertight to the constitution and people who are experienced in football administration. FIFA has done a good job.”
He took a swipe at the SRC saying ZIFA issues were not supposed to be handled in the manner it did. “But now that this is water under the bridge, let’s rally behind what is there.”
VOA Studio 7 could not get a comment from SRC representatives and former ZIFA board members as they were not responding to calls on their mobile phones.
Indications that that Kamambo and his colleagues are not happy about FIFA’s move to remove them from office. The Normalization Committee will run soccer in Zimbabwe until June next year.
VOA Correspondents Mlondolozi Ndlovu and Michael Kariati contributed to this article