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Senator Angeline Masuku

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Matabeleland South Governor and Bulawayo Senator Angeline Masuku has urged football administrators and former footballers to stop being crybabies and take the initiative to better their lives. Speaking at the funeral service of the late Highlanders and Warriors’ midfield maestro Willard Mashinkila Khumalo at McDonald Hall on Thursday, Masuku said it saved no purpose to keep on complaining while providing no solutions.

“Complaining all the time isn’t good at all. People should sit down and map the way forward on what needs to be done or corrected,” said Masuku. “I’ve heard and I can also see it myself that football players are only cared for during their playing time, but after they’ve called time on their careers, having lifted sky high Zimbabwe’s flag worldwide, they’re no longer important any more. “But I’m challenging you now that as leaders, let’s all come together and map the way forward. As it is, besides only meeting during such sad moments like funerals, we’ve never met, have we? I’m directing this question to all those in football administration,” said Masuku, who also revealed that she was a staunch Highlanders supporter.

She said football administrators must never be afraid or embarrassed to approach decision-makers to raise pertinent issues that affect them. “Even when I was governor, I never had people coming to my office to tell me about problems they were facing. “Now I’m a senator and there has never been a day when people have come to me with their problems, so how do you expect us to know what problems you face or what exactly you want us to take to the right people if you’re not coming to us with your problems?” asked Masuku.

She was reacting to complaints by Footballers’ Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Paul Gundani, suspended Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda and former Highlanders chairman Ernest Maphepha Sibanda’s complaints that former players were being neglected. The trio had called for the creation of a sports industry pension fund with Gundani saying it made no sense for people to celebrate the lives of athletes when they were dead. Gundani appealed to Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Andrew Langa to help set up a compulsory pension fund that will help improve the welfare of players and coaches when they retire.

Langa said sport should no longer be treated as mere entertainment, but an industry with the potential to generate lots of money as is the case in neighbouring South Africa, Europe and the Americas. He invited sports administrators and officials from his Ministry to hold brainstorming sessions to help map a way forward.