Source: Motsepe lauds ZIFA’s work – herald
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CONFEDERATION of African Football president Patrice Motsepe believes ZIFA are heading towards the right direction after Zimbabwe successfully hosted the CAF African Schools Under-15 Championship, which ended at Ngoni Stadium in Norton yesterday.
The CAF supremo was blown away by the progress made by Zimbabwe since the coming on board of the new ZIFA executive fronted by Nqobile Magwizi in January last year.
Motsepe sounded excited as he faced the media upon his arrival at Ngoni Stadium, itself a compact facility put together by Patrick Tamson’s Premiership outfit MWOS .
He was accompanied by Magwizi with ZIFA vice president Loveness Mukura and board member Kudzai Kadzombe and association General Secretary Norman Gwangwadza, also on hand.
“ZIFA are taking the right direction,” said Motsepe.
“I am very excited with all these developments. Zimbabwe are producers of good youngsters, some of them amongst the best players in Africa.
Motsepe said it was positively significant to have a tournament of this nature taking place since it doesn’t only mould players to become professionals.
“This is an important competition, not only does it produce good players on the field of play; some become referees, some commissioners, some coaches . . .
“We are proud and excited to see these youngsters who have a bright future in football,” added Motsepe.
“Basically, this is quite exciting and we are happy.”
Ghana beat Burkina Faso on penalties to claim the Girls Championship title.
It also needed the luck of the penalty shootout lottery for Senegal to overcome Uganda in the Boys section after the two sides had featured in a 0-0 draw in regulation time.
Motsepe knows much about Zimbabwean players as a number of them have featured for his family club and South African Premiership serial winners Mamelodi Sundowns.
Both the Zimbabwe U15 Boys and Girls teams didn’t make it beyond the group phases of the jamboree, but Motsepe doesn’t doubt the capacity of a football ecosystem that gave Sundowns players like Khama Billiat, easily the most successful of the lot, former Warriors captains Peter Ndlovu and Esrom Nyandoro, Cuthbert Malajila, Nyasha Mushekwi, Lionel Mtizwa, Method Mwanjali and Divine Lunga.
Motsepe knows the value derived from giving youngsters international exposure with the CAF African U15 Schools Championship set to transform most of the players who took part in it, for good.
“The first is, they (the youngsters) must believe in themselves and everything in life comes through hard work and self-belief and there will always be challenges.
“Some of the best football players when they’re very young others tell them you are good, but the others are better than you, but if you just work hard let me give you an example; I don’t know; Who knows Esrom Nyandoro?
“Who knows Peter Ndlovu? Who knows Khama Billiat?
“They all used to play for a football club that the family own, Mamelodi Sundowns.
“And, you know, Divine Lunga?
“When they come to South Africa, they steal them. They say, all right, now you belong to South Africa, but should be proud Zimbabwe because they come from here. There were the Ndlovu brothers.
“And then there was Stanley Ndunduma (late). I don’t know if anybody knows him amongst you (journalists). This country has produced incredible football players; I mean Khama Billiat was a champion of the continent in 2016 when Mamelodi Sundowns were champions of Africa and it must also be part of the dream of every Zimbabwean youngster to play for the national team.
“Some will play for local football clubs and some of will go overseas because you (Zimbabweans) are special.”
Motsepe made special mention of Scotland-based Warriors forward Tawanda Maswanhise whom he saw scoring an incredible goal for Zimbabwe against South Africa at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Marrakech, Morocco last December.
Maswanhise made a mockery of one of South Africa’s star defenders Mebekezeli Mbokazi before he arrowed down the right corner to take down the score to 1-1 before the Bafana Bafana eventually won the match 3-2.
“Then there’s this player who got an incredible goal against South Africa (at AFCON) who’s playing in Scotland,” added Motsepe.
“We must go where he comes from and we will find others there because the talent is enormous.
“I just want to say, like anything in life, work hard, sacrifice, believe in your ability to become a world-class football player, play for the national team, play for the best team, grow and succeed.
“And you can build a future out of football to maintain your family and send your children to school and have a nice house and a nice car.
“And also find time to pray, because we always need God’s Blessings. And you will succeed’’.
ZIFA president Magwizi, whose board have made huge strides since replacing the FIFA Normalisation Committee said collective effort can drive football in this country towards a better place.
“To be able to host this prestigious tournament is a plus for the country,” said Magwizi.
“This is a big tournament and we have shown that we can be able to also host bigger tournaments in the future.
“The prevailing environment in the country, the togetherness, the passion and the enthusiasm have all come together to help us pull this one off.
“We will keep on working hard to improve football and the football game environment in Zimbabwe.”
Magwizi and ZIFA have captured the imagination of many with how they have managed to put together significant milestones including being able to find Zimbabwe’s way into the upcoming Unity Cup to be staged in London, England.
The contest will be played at the Valley from May 26-30 and will see Zimbabwe face off against Nigeria in the semi-final while India and Jamaica engage in the other semi.
Winners of the two semis will then lock horns in the final on May 30 with the losers preceding that encounter with a third place play-off.
But the competition will bring more than just football with the participants getting to showcase their cultures, music, cuisines and more.
This will be the first time that Zimbabwe would have played in England.
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