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Lincoln Mutasa

Senior Sports Reporter
ASPIRING Zifa vice-president and former Dynamos chairman Lincoln Mutasa yesterday described himself as a team player who wanted to effectively contribute to the well-being of Zimbabwean football.

Mutasa, who led Dynamos from 1983-87, is vying to become Zifa’s second in command and will come up against the association’s former vice-president Omega Sibanda.

Former Highlanders’ vice-chairman Elkanah Dube stood down last week after his papers had already been okayed by the Zifa electoral committee chaired by retired judge Justice Selo Nare.

Fifty-eight councillors will vote for a new Zifa board on December 5.

Addressing the media after meeting some Bulawayo-based councillors yesterday, Mutasa was hopeful they would find wisdom and vote him into office.

“As you’re aware, soccer is a team sport and what I’ve just done is to make myself available to the councillors, who in this case are the coaches that assemble a team. I’ve heeded calls by people, who felt that I should make myself available to be in the team that’ll improve and turnaround the country’s football fortunes. What should be noted is that I’m not challenging Sibanda, but I’m making myself available to widen the choice of selection,” said Mutasa.

“People (councillors) are very excited; very hopeful in general. According to the feedback I’m getting, they want to see more people who’ve been involved in soccer playing a role in turning around the fortunes of our country. I’m confident that the councillors will make the right choices come election day.”

The former DeMbare boss, who is an engineer-turned farmer, said he is passionate about soccer and his involvement in the game started when he was a child, playing soccer in the rural areas.

“My involvement in football started way back in the rural areas before I moved overseas where I played in the UK at school and some clubs. I returned home and played for Dynamos before I was elevated to the club’s chairman from 1983-87. There were times I doubled up as a player-chairman. After leaving Dynamos, I continued playing social soccer at Arcadia.

“I never left soccer because as my children grew up, I became in involved in schools’ soccer. I know all the excellent work done by teachers in training those kids and the difficulties parents face supporting children when they go for tours,” Mutasa said.

He defended his choice of gunning for the vice-presidency, saying what was key is to have a good, strong board that will come up with realistic strategies to turnaround the fortunes of Zimbabwean football.

Four people, businessmen Philip Chiyangwa and Trevor Carelse-Juul, former PSL secretary-general Leslie Gwindi and former national team player James Takavada are battling it out for the top post left vacant by the sacking of the previous Zifa board led by Cuthbert Dube in September.

“Initially I thought of going for a board position, but people felt I should go for the vice-presidency after seeing that what’s required is to get a strong team that will come up with a two-year turnaround strategy. I’ll work with anyone because this is not an individually-driven project, but teamwork with the ultimate goal being to see Zimbabwe playing at the Fifa World Cup in the next 10 years. That journey to the Fifa World Cup begins now with the closest being planning for the 2022 finals,” said Mutasa.

He declined to reveal the councillors he met in Bulawayo, but Chronicle Sport has it on good authority that he sold his candidature to PSL clubs Highlanders, How Mine and Chicken Inn.

The sources said his efforts to meet regional and provincial representatives were in vain.

Mutasa then drove through Gweru where he met Central Region boss Felton Kamambo, among other councillors.