HARARE – At least five Ordinary Level (O-Level) passes will now be required for anyone vying for the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) presidency, following a new amendment passed unanimously at the ZIFA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Harare today.
The move, which could disqualify several hopefuls, comes ahead of next January’s ZIFA elections.
Reports have surfaced that presidential aspirant Prophet Walter Magaya sought to influence stakeholders to drop the new educational requirement before today’s meeting, hoping to block the clause demanding five O-Levels and other provisions seen as obstacles for certain candidates.
The new draft constitution, which includes this education requirement, was voted on before the upcoming elections.
Lincoln Mutasa, Chair of the ZIFA Normalization Committee (NC), said: “We have taken a major step towards fulfilling our mandate, as ZIFA has now formally adopted a new constitution. This positions us favorably to prepare for the elective general meeting where a new executive committee will be voted in.”
NC member and former Mighty Warriors coach and captain, Rosemary Mugadza, emphasized the importance of education in football leadership, recalling her experience as a CAF instructor, where a certain level of academic qualification was mandatory.
“It’s time for former footballers to enrol in night schools to get basic qualifications like 5 O-Levels,” she said, noting how she had to recommend an average player for a US football scholarship because the top players lacked the necessary educational credentials.
Several names have emerged as potential candidates for the ZIFA presidency, including Magaya, Marshall Gore, Ellen Chiwenga, Brighton “Panjap” Ushendibaba, Richard Mazodze, and Martin Kweza. Kukurigo
