ZIMBABWE football, which has been in the wilderness for the past year and a half, has been given a new lease of life following the lifting of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) suspension and the unveiling of the normalisation committee to steer the sport into the future.
Fifa has written to the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) informing them of the good news on Monday night and also confirmed the development at a Press conference, where a four-member normalisation committee was unveiled in Harare yesterday.
The lifting of the suspension has come in time for Zimbabwe to take part in the 2026 World Cup draw Africa which will be conducted tomorrow in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, soon after the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Ordinary Assembly.
“It has been a long and winding road, but we are finally here to announce the lifting of the suspension of the Zimbabwe Football Association after the conditions which led to that suspension have been met. Also, as an additional step is the installation of the normalisation committee which will run Zimbabwe football for the betterment of all those involved in this great sport of ours until June 2024 at the least,” Fifa representative Solomon Mudege said at the Press conference.
“What I do want to assure you is the complete support of Fifa, the complete support of Caf and the complete support of Cosafa in ensuring that Zimbabwe football reaches the highest that we have all desired. So that we can provide a viable career option to all the children, a viable football industry and lead the development of all football players in this country,” added the Fifa head of development programmes in Africa.
Former Dynamos chairperson Lincoln Mutasa will lead the four-member normalisation committee and will be assisted by lawyer Nyasha Tashinga Sanyamandwe, former Mighty Warriors coach Rosemary Mugadza and ex-Highlanders defender Sikhumbuzo Ndebele.
Youth, Sports, Art and Recreation minister Kirsty Coventry, who was also present at the occasion, expressed delight over the news and high hopes for the country’s football going forward.
“My role is to welcome this incredible news,” Coventry said.
- WhaWha triumphs in the slugfest of wardens
- Cops Arrested For USD 10 Fraud
- Pay civil servants : Action Aid Zimbabwe
- Inside sport: Make domestic football better
Keep Reading
“This is exactly where we wished we had been in 2019 when we requested for a normalisation committee to come in. We now have the normalisation committee that will be working with various stakeholders and all of us. I want to thank Fifa, Caf and Cosafa for being open over the last year and half to better understand the situation on the ground.
“Soccer is our heartbeat and many of you have judged us harshly for the decision we took, but we had to make hard decisions to make sure we are doing the best for our stakeholders. We used to be ranked in the top 40 in the world and we need that chance to get back there.
“Our athletes deserve that chance to get there and we have an opportunity through this normalisation committee to rebuild a solid foundation that will see all of our soccer fraternity and stakeholders thriving.”
The development is also a triumph for the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), which made the then unpopular decision of suspending the Felton Kamambo-led board over a litany of charges.
SRC board chairperson Gerald Mlotshwa described it as the beginning of a golden era for Zimbabwe football.
“Your endurance has not been in vain. Today marks the genesis of a golden era for Zimbabwean football. Please accompany us for the remainder of this journey. It promises to be exhilarating, rewarding, and fulfilling. The SRC wishes to extend its sincere appreciation to Fifa and Caf,” he said.
“This endeavour has been a symphony of collaboration involving all parties, including Caf and Cosafa. An unprecedented rapport has been fostered among Fifa, Caf and Cosafa, the SRC and the Government of Zimbabwe. This relationship, already unprecedented in many ways, will be solidified by a collaborative agreement between the parties as the necessary reforms in our football take root.
“Never again should our football become a victim of unscrupulous administrators and societal miscreants, driven by self-centredness and egotism as has been the case over the years. We are acutely cognizant of the inconvenience, pain, and frustration that the suspension from international football has elicited.”
With Zimbabwe returning to international football, focus now turns to the state of the country’s stadia with none eligible to host international matches.
Coventry is, however, confident that the country will be able to host international matches.
“There has been on-going works (at the National Sports Stadium). The electronic ticketing system is now in the country waiting to be installed. Water reticulation is in process and the feasibility study for the entire area not just the NSS, but grounds around it are being undertaken at the moment. It should be wrapped up in the next two to three weeks,” she said.
“This has also been explained to Fifa when they visited and they also went and visited the NSS. The study is being undertaken by a South African legitimate company that built and renovated soccer stadiums for the 2010 World Cup.”
