Dube’s passion for the game and his determination to see the country succeed can hardly be faulted but three eventful years in office have hardly formed an inspiring backdrop for his re-election bid.
It is difficult to figure out what else the Zifa chair could do in his final year to salvage his legacy and strengthen chances of securing another term.
True enough, the Buymore FC founder inherited an organisation already up to its neck in debt, following a woeful four years under Wellington Nyatanga. That debt is now $4m and counting.
However, having crafted his campaign for office on promises to revamp the association’s image to attract corporate sponsorship and transform the Warriors into a formidable unit, Dube will be hard-pressed to prove that as mission accomplished next year. Three years of failing have disenchanted many and the challenges that confront him on the home stretch look daunting.
Dube’s procrastination triggered some ugly boardroom infighting over the appointment of a Warriors coach in 2010, a development largely blamed for crippling Zimbabwe’s campaign for an Afcon 2012 berth.
The messy struggle that tore the Zifa board apart as they skirmished over whether or not to appoint Belgian Tom Saintfiet as Warriors coach not only derailed an entire Nations Cup campaign but also exposed Dube and some prominent members of his board as unpatriotic opportunists more interested in nourishing their egos than fighting for the national cause.
Furthermore, the development also wiped out any hopes Dube might have entertained of giving his regime a squeaky clean image in the eyes of potential sponsors, who subsequently saw no sense in associating their brands with a combination of chaos and failure.
Little has changed since then. Just this last year, the Warriors held true to their reputation, failing to qualify for the Afcon 2013 finals in the most painful of circumstances, leaving fans heartbroken while Dube endured the ignominy of presiding over two futile Afcon campaigns.
The 2014 World Cup campaign also got off to a typically slow start, Zimbabwe losing their first match at home to Guinea before registering a goalless draw away to Mozambique. The Under-20 and Under-17 teams are set to be slapped with three-year bans from CAF after failing to fulfil their respective fixtures last year. This clearly gives Dube a mammoth task in his final year – that of proving that local football, far from deteriorating, has actually taken a step forward under his leadership.
The immediate future does not look any brighter. Zifa vice-president, Ndumiso Gumede, recently announced that the association would not participate in international competitions unless the government makes funds available.
Zifa’s only hope for finances would be from diamond mining companies based in Marange, with Mbada Diamonds having come in with some incentives for Warriors players last year. Minister of Mines Obert Mpofu has promised to ensure that more assistance goes Zifa’s way. In that promise lies Dube’s hope but even that might be too little too late.
Post published in: Football