Zimbabwe Football Association presidential candidate Gilbert Muponda has revealed that he has a burning desire to make the game financially viable for both clubs and players.
The 49-year-old banker says clubs are suffering because football is being taken as social and entertainment and not as a business and his aim was to change all that.
Muponda says his vision is to transform Zimbabwe football into a competent industry that contributes directly to the nation's gross domestic product.
This, according to the corporate executive, is achieved through five progressive pillars that will ensure the sustainability and beneficiation of all stakeholders, especially supporters and youths.
These five pillars are commercialisation, monetisation, corporatisation, standardisation and modernisation of all aspects of the golden game to meet global standards and restoration of Zimbabwean football back on a sound financial footing as is the case with neighbours South Africa.
"I have lived in the USA, Canada, and the United Kingdom where I had exposure on how to run sporting organisations. I also learnt about how to monitise sport in order to create jobs and generate serious revenue." said Muponda.
The businessman added that if elected he would do his best to bring on board as many sponsors as possible including those who left unhappy with the environment that existed then.
"We need as many sponsors as possible and as many knockout tournaments as we can have. It makes the game more exciting and more attractive too. It used to happen with the BAT Rosebowl, the Chibuku Trophy, the Rothmans Shield and the Zifa Castle Cup. The money is out there and what is required is a business leader who can explore that market and I am that man," says Muponda.
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For those who are questioning, Muponda reveals he has the 5 "0" level requirement and the required five years football administration experience having founded and led for over a decade the GMRI Academy which won the Archiford Gutu Under - 17 national tournament in 2022.
Above all, Muponda is crying over the death of junior football in the country contending that its revival is one on his agenda for urgent attention.
"Junior football is almost non-existent because we are focusing more on the cream, that is the PSL and the Warriors forgetting that a house is built from the foundation," he said.
"We need junior football leagues in all the provinces from the under 12 up to the Under 20s. It is from those leagues where our junior national teams should be picked from."
The businessman said it was his wish that all PSL teams have an Under 20 team which would play on league basis on the same day with their senior teams.
He also has a deep love for women's football suggesting that Zimbabwe needed to raise its effort in as far as the development of women's football was concerned.
"We need to do more for women's soccer. We need a women's PSL that plays full circle just like the Castle Lager PSL and not in bits and pieces as is the case today. Women's football should have fully sponsored Division One leagues going down to the juniors. That is my dream,' added Muponda.
Muponda joins a list that includes PSL chairman Farai Jere, former footballer Alois Bunjira, former Dynamos chairman Themba Mliswa, USA based Wangu Mazodze, UK based Marshall Gore and Ellen Chiwenga among those who have declared their interests for the top football post.
The next three months will provide a very interesting chapter in the history of the Zifa polls after it was confirmed that Zifa elections will go ahead as planned on January 18.
