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Thursday, 14 June 2012 15:28 |
 Events in the past fortnight have left Zimbabwean soccer in intensive unit following successive blunders on and off the field.
Infighting among the game’s administrators has cascaded down to players threatening the future of the beautiful game.
Hope and faith are two important ingredients to human survival.
Hope is an emotional state that promotes the belief in a positive outcome related to events or simply put it’s a belief that circumstances will be better in future while faith is a strong conviction, confidence or trust in something.
Zimbabwean soccer fans are a people that have lived with these two elements throughout the course of the game’s history in the country.
Too often, the Warriors have broken the 12th man’s heart but like the Biblical Prophet Hosea, supporters have always stuck to the unfaithful wife Gomer-the Warriors!
In the times when the pain has been unbearable, the 12th man has sometimes vowed to walk away from the affair but just an announcement of the Warriors next fixture tingles them and the love floods back.
The story of this love affair can be captured in the events that have characterised Zimbabwean soccer of late.
First it was the Asiagate scandal.
Then the painful exit from AFCON 2012 with allegations that some players fixed the away match against Cape Verde.
The appointment of Coach Rahman Gumbo again brought mixed reactions from supporters and two consecutive defeats and a draw have left the Warriors bruised and battered.
But what is the cause of such problems.
“Our problems are we lack consistency and continuity. This business of changing coaches like shirts has affected us.
ZIFA lacks a lasting plan to our coaching problems, administratively ZIFA has let us down.
They leave things too late, be it preparations or sourcing sponsors,” said Clayton Kudita.
“Our problem lies in the selection of our team and its coaches. Why do we keep recycling talent and does ZIFA have a strategy to revive the game,” said Allan Muzunza.
An old adage says success has many fathers and failure is an orphan.
When the Cuthbert Dube led board came into office, there was optimism that his success in corporate sector will cascade down to the sport of soccer.
But criticism has been levelled against the football mother body.
ZIFA President Cuthbert Dube believes there is reason to maintain hope.
Known as a turn-around strategist in business, the ZIFA boss says his management faces several threats bordering from lack of stakeholders support, unseen underhand operations and a serious lack of resources.
“To start with, our chances are still there in both competitions what we need is focus. Yes I am a turnaround strategist but it should be understood that alone we cannot do it, we need government to come in.
"We need to all work with one motive. Currently we hear of parallel ZIFA structures appearing elsewhere.
"Personally I will continue to commit myself to the good of the game. On the Guinea game, I will tell you we actually made a loss, we are going to publish the accounts of that game for the nation to see for itself,” says Dube.
Pessimists say the Warriors are out of the 2014 World Cup while optimists point to the four remaining games.
But the reality of the situation is as long as Zimbabwe treads on the same path that has been witnessed of late, then the Warriors lover-the 12th man will once again wipe tears, after another betrayal.
With chances of South Africa 2013 hanging by a shred after the 2-1 loss in Bujumbura, questions are where to now?
Do we disband the team as some have been calling? Or do we wait for that turn around? Up to when and is there any future after all?
While the football supporter continues to cry for the beloved warriors, is it not time those who are fighting over control of the sport to examine themselves and realise the height from which they have fallen from.
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