ZIFA has received a bus donated by its sponsor Ecobank for its national teams, while its president Nqobile Magwizi has been appointed to head COSAFA’s Commercial and Television Committee, according to The Herald.
Zimbabwean football has recorded two advances in quick succession. The federation (ZIFA) has received a bus for its national teams, donated by its sponsor Ecobank, The Herald reported. At the same time, its president Nqobile Magwizi has been appointed to chair COSAFA’s Commercial and Television Committee.
Both pieces of news, reported by The Herald, come as ZIFA seeks to turn the page on the logistical difficulties that have surrounded its national teams. Ecobank’s gesture and the COSAFA appointments are presented as the first concrete signs of the federation’s new direction, set out in the “Dream 2030” plan.
A bus to end the rentals
Ecobank’s donation is intended to put an end to the national teams’ recurring transport problems, as until now they had to rent vehicles or rely on donations to travel, according to The Herald. The bus is thus presented as a structural answer to a logistical problem that weighed on the teams’ preparations.
“To Ecobank, it is an investment into the future of Zimbabwean football, this is a community sport which touches the privileged and underprivileged communities…it dovetails our value system,” said James Shumbanhete, Ecobank’s chief financial officer, quoted by The Herald. Translation: “For Ecobank, it is an investment in the future of Zimbabwean football; it is a community sport that touches privileged and underprivileged communities… it fits in with our value system.”
Two Zimbabweans on the committees
On the institutional side, ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi has been appointed chairman of COSAFA’s Commercial and Television Committee, again according to The Herald. The chairman of Zimbabwe’s Premier Soccer League, Isaiah Mupfurutsa, has for his part been appointed a member of COSAFA’s Finance Committee.
These appointments place two Zimbabwean officials in COSAFA’s decision-making structures, a signal sent at a time when the federation is seeking to restore its partners’ trust. “From the donated bus to seats at the Cosafa table, this is beginning to show that the turnaround is not just talk,” Nqobile Magwizi told The Herald. Translation: “From the donated bus to seats at the Cosafa table, this is beginning to show that the turnaround is not just talk.”
Dream 2030 and AFCON 2027 in their sights
ZIFA’s “Dream 2030” plan aims to bring the Warriors and the Mighty Warriors back to continental level, to professionalise local football and to restore partners’ trust, according to The Herald. The Ecobank bus and the posts obtained at COSAFA are presented as the first concrete applications of this roadmap.
On the pitch, Zimbabwe continues its qualifying campaign for AFCON 2027 against Equatorial Guinea, on 13 and 16 November.