Former Zimbabwe captain Peter Ndlovu has received backing from one of his family members and coach Marko Dube to become the next Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) president as the race for football’s top post in the country begins to shape up.
As the country eagerly awaits the nomination of candidates for the Zifa presidency, Ndlovu’s name has been circulating, captivating football enthusiasts across the divide.
The elections are scheduled for January 2025.
Dube, who adopted a different surname due to family tradition is the eldest brother in the family that produced footballers Madinda, the late Adam and Peter.
He firmly believes Peter will bring invaluable expertise to Zimbabwean football.
“It’s a positive development. Having someone like Peter in that position would be beneficial,” he said.
“He possesses extensive knowledge of the sport, garnered from his time overseas.
“His leadership would be a welcome change from individuals with financial resources but lacking in expertise,” stated Dube, who currently assists the Highlanders juniors’ technical team.
Peter is arguably Zimbabwe’s finest football export, after spending 13 years playing in England for Coventry City, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, and Sheffield United. Dube asserted that Peter meets all requirements for the role.
“He has the passion; we’ve seen his dedication during his playing days. He would fly from England, play for Zimbabwe, and return immediately. This demonstrates his love for the country,” said Dube who also played for the Bosso juniors as a defender before becoming a police officer.
However, Dube tempered expectations by revealing that Peter had not confirmed his candidacy.
“As a closely-knit family, we share important information. Peter hasn’t informed me of his intentions,” he said.
“We are only aware of rumours circulating on social media. He still hasn’t told me (anything).
“We always discuss important matters in the family, especially if they are related to someone wanting to contest for a ZIFA post. For now, it’s just a rumour.”
However, amendments to the Zifa constitution appear to have rendered Ndlovu ineligible given the fact that he has not been based in the country for the past five years.
Dube criticised the current state of Zimbabwean football, citing a lack of passion and excessive focus on financial gain.
“The system is diluted with people that lack passion for football now leading us,” he said.
“Most of them come to football looking for money, which is wrong. There’s a lot that needs fixing in our football. I could take all day pointing out where we’re getting it wrong.”
Dube emphasised the need for stakeholders to convene and discuss solutions.
“We need to meet and discuss as stakeholders. We can also invite experts to share their knowledge and learn from each other because we need everyone,” he said.
Several potential candidates, including Ellen Chiwengwa, Richard Mazodze, Marshall Gore, Walter Magaya, Twine Phiri and Martin Kweza, have expressed interest in the presidency.
Another football legend Mkhokheli Dube believes that focus should be on manifestos rather than names.
“What Zimbabwe football needs right now is a system that promotes football development,” he said.
“As candidates jostle for the top position, the best manifesto should be the one that outlines a clear structure for supporting football growth in the country.”
Mkhokheli highlighted the importance of casting a wider net to identify talent from marginalised areas.
“Bias has been on Bulawayo and Harare, and talent from other areas has been frustrated,” he said.
There are no systems in place to cast the net wider for all talented footballers in Zimbabwe to get exposure.”
To address this, Mkhokheli recommended provision of technical assistance and support to the National Association for Primary School Heads (NAPH) and National Association for Secondary School Heads (NASH) to identify talent from all schools in Zimbabwe, where Peter was discovered.
He also suggested that Premier League clubs should be mandated to pay development fees to grassroots clubs and academies.
“Premier League clubs should pay development fees to grassroots clubs and academies so that these development or feeder teams remain afloat in a harsh economic climate,” said Mkhokheli who owns Zebra Revolution. His team were recently crowned Zifa Bulawayo Province Under 17 champions.
By implementing these measures, Zimbabwe can tap into its vast football potential as football is played from Beitbridge to Chirundu but the bottlenecks frustrate talented individuals in the hard-to-reach areas.