CHINHOYI – THE decision by Federal International Football Association (FIFA) to lift
Zimbabwe’s suspension from international football has sparked scenes of ecstatic joy
among soccer fans.
The FIFA decision comes after a year during which there was no participation in
international football for the Warriors, the Mighty Warriors and local football teams.
Zimbabwe was suspended from international football in February 2022. The suspension
came after there were allegations of third party interference. This was after the country’s
sports regulatory body, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), suspended the
ZIFA executive, led by Felton Kamambo on a slew of allegations, among them failure to
account for public funds and sexual harassment female soccer officials.
Then last week, FIFA lifted the suspension and set up a normalisation committee to
take charge of ZIFA affairs until June 2024, the move sparked off scenes of
celebrations.
Local fans are excited about this development because it marks a return to international
football for both the Warriors and the Mighty Warriors.
Mukudzei Tapindwa, a local loyal Warriors fan commended the stance taken by the
Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Kirsty Coventry and the Sports and
Recreation Commission (SRC) for bringing back the sport.
“What the Minister, ZIFA and SRC has done is all what needed to be done from the
start and we, the fans, are thankful for the gesture and hope it continues going forward
to clean the sport,” said Tapindwa.
Another one added that ZIFA needs to work hard like their counterparts in cricket to
attract sponsorship so that fans get to enjoy the beautiful game.
“It's now time for development. We recommend that ZIFA and the Ministry of Youth,
Sports, Arts and Recreation work closely with the Confederation of African Football
(CAF) and FIFA to ensure that our stadiums are up to CAF and FIFA standard, so that
we enjoy our football in our own stadiums,” said Dominic Ramuro, a local football fan.
This development comes just in time as the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers draw was
scheduled took place in Cotonou, Benin on Thursday. Zimbabwe was included in the
draw.
