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Cuthbert Dube

Grace Chingoma Harare Bureau
SOME of the councillors who constitute the Electoral College feel that the next Zifa president should have a passion for football and not necessarily have immense financial resources.

The elections for the new Zifa Board will be held on December 5 and yesterday some councillors spoke of the attributes they want to see in the new president.

“As councillors we’re still to meet but our position is very clear, we don’t want a person with lots of money who will say he might want to put money into football and acting as if he owns the association,” said one councillor.

“We want a person who wants to put football structures that will function, someone with corporate appeal who can attract sponsors.

“Whoever is going to be Zifa president should be a credible person. Even the board members should be credible people as this isn’t a one-man band.

“That candidate, we believe, is out there. We’ll vote for the person we feel will take football to the next level.

“We’ve been telling each other as councillors not to accept peoples’ money. What we’re worried about are people who aren’t in football structures but have got money and want to impose a person.

“As councillors we’ll not approach anyone but are concerned about pretenders.”

Midlands provincial chairman, Brian Chishanga, said they wanted someone with a passion for the game.

Chishanga’s decision to turn against Cuthbert Dube was a turning point in the movement to revoke his mandate as Zifa president.

“First and foremost the person should have a passion for football unlike in the past where we had a president who wouldn’t attend football matches or set a foot at Zifa House,” said Chishanga.

“We need a person who knows that football is a business. We want someone to take us from this deep end to where our football should be.

“In this country we’ve capable people but at times they don’t get the opportunity and now we’re saying the opportunity is here.

“We need someone to approach the corporate world with the challenges we have in this sport and have that addressed, not trying to address your own problems.

“I don’t have any candidate in mind but I’m waiting to be approached for votes and we’ll see whether they’re fit for the posts.

“Names will emerge and people will start canvassing. But these people should take note of what the councillors want.”