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Sports Reporter
THE new Zifa board is taking a battering from journalists opposed to the leadership with one of them even daring to say to that “dogs have come to football.” Social media has been inundated with messages from the journalists who believe that the new Zifa board, led by Philip Chiyangwa, is dragging Zimbabwe football into the Stone Age.

Matters came to a head last week when the Zifa leaders fired Warriors coach, Callisto Pasuwa, in an ill-times decision which sent shockwaves around the domestic football front.

The decision was roundly criticised by the fans and virtually all the football writers with Sports Minister Makhosini Hlongwane even pleading with the Zifa leaders to review their decision and re-engage Pasuwa.

Chiyangwa announced late on Saturday night that Zifa had made an about turn and Pasuwa had been reinstated into his job. But that was not before the journalists who are opposed to the Zifa leadership attacked those who are leading the game.

Ian Zvoma, the ZTV sports news anchor, even went further to say that dogs had come to football in a brutal attack on the Zifa leadership.

Zvoma has been very critical of some of the characters who have now taken positions within the new Zifa leadership on various social media forums, including the whatsapp group created by the Association spokesman, Xolisani Gwesela, for football writers.

“Someone said to me football has gone to the dogs and l said, ummmm, dogs have come to football,” Zvoma posted on his Facebook page on Saturday.

It triggered a number of responses from his Facebook friends.

Baba Michaela Murahwa said domestic football had, instead, “gone to the monkeys.”

Collin Divala Gunde said the Pasuwa saga was just the tip of an iceberg and there would be “more confusion to come.”

Another one, Freddy Nyathi, said this was confusion at its highest level.

“Why fire a coach who has taken the team to the tournament, worse when he was already in camp, what is the new coach has his selection, what happens to the boys already in camp, why not wait until the tournament is over and then fire him?

“I agree with you lan.” And Francis Chochoma said the worst was yet to come.

“The worst is yet to come Ian, you ain’t seen nothing yet, give these clowns another month and there will not be any football to talk about,” said Chochoma.

Former Herald sports journalist, O’Brien Rwafa, recalled a conversation he had with Paddington Japajapa, a former CAPS United official, some years ago.

“Some years ago, one character by the name Paddington Japajapa once said to me if we really serious about ushering in professionalism in our football, we must buy very strong keys and very strong chains, go to Zifa House, chuck everyone out from the CEO down to the office cleaner and lock the office,” wrote Rwafa.

“Chase the musketeers to the mountains and we start anew.

“Then I told him you are an extremist but, hey, Paddy, wherever you are, let it be known to you that on this day l have seen sense in what you were saying and l’m eating humble pie.

“You were right after all.”

The Herald Sports Editor, Collin Matiza, has also been very critical of the new Zifa leadership.

“They sold Zim football for 30 pieces of silver and it’s now haunting them, hamusati,” Matiza wrote on his Facebook page.

“On December 5 they created a monster and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Trying to be sane in front of insane people is insanity on its own.

“Just wondering why l keep on commenting on or about the circus in Zimbabwe football.

“I really need my head examined.”