By Simbarashe Sithole
ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi says Zimbabwean football risks remaining trapped in a cycle of “survival” unless the country finds sustainable ways of funding grassroots and long-term player development.
Magwizi said the association was often forced to channel scarce resources towards immediate national-team obligations such as travel, accommodation, training camps, medical services and match logistics, leaving little money for developing the next generation.
He likened the situation to a struggling rural family that spends every dollar meeting immediate needs, leaving nothing to invest in improving its future.
“Zimbabwean football is caught in a difficult cycle: we are trying to build tomorrow while using almost everything we have to survive today,” Magwizi said.
He said the problem was particularly serious because football development was a long-term process requiring sustained investment in youth football, academies, scouting, coaching, sports science, refereeing and grassroots structures.
“A talented 14-year-old identified today may need six, seven or eight years of structured coaching, proper competition, nutrition, sports science and careful development before becoming a senior international,” he said.
Magwizi warned that under-investment in development could eventually shrink Zimbabwe’s pool of quality players, affecting the competitiveness of the Warriors, Mighty Warriors and junior national teams.
He said poor performances could then weaken football’s commercial appeal and public confidence, further reducing the resources available for development.
“If we invest too little in grassroots and youth development, we eventually produce a smaller pool of technically developed elite players,” Magwizi said.
“That affects the competitiveness of our national teams. Poor results, in turn, can weaken commercial appeal and public confidence. Reduced commercial income then leaves fewer resources to invest in development. And the cycle begins again.”
The ZIFA boss said the association had a responsibility to improve governance, strengthen financial discipline, increase commercial revenues and make Zimbabwean football more attractive to investors.
However, he argued that ZIFA could not carry the burden alone.
He said Government, FIFA, CAF, corporates, broadcasters, clubs, leagues and supporters all had a role to play in creating a sustainable football industry.
“If we want a strong and sustainable football industry, financing it has to become a shared national conversation,” he said.
Magwizi said Zimbabwe needed to gradually move from a culture of “consumption” to one of investment, where resources were set aside for future development instead of being consumed by the next fixture.
“Development cannot continue to live on leftovers,” he said.
He also raised the possibility of introducing a modest football development levy as one of the funding mechanisms Zimbabwe could explore.
Magwizi said such a levy would have to be properly structured, transparently administered and ring-fenced for long-term football development.
He stressed that the proposal was part of a wider discussion on finding sustainable funding mechanisms rather than relying solely on traditional sponsorship, FIFA and CAF funding, gate receipts, broadcasting revenue and commercial partnerships.
The ZIFA president said Zimbabwe had no shortage of football talent, but the country needed systems capable of identifying, nurturing and retaining that talent.
He pointed to children playing football in communities across the country, including Gokwe, saying some could possess the potential to become future Warriors or Mighty Warriors but could be lost without proper coaching, scouting and competition.
“Our football system has to become good enough to find that child, strong enough to develop that talent and sustainable enough to give that young player a genuine pathway from the school ground to the national team,” he said.
As the Warriors prepare to face Sierra Leone on Thursday, Magwizi said the immediate welfare and preparation of the senior national team remained important.
But he challenged stakeholders to look beyond the next 90 minutes and build a football system capable of producing competitive national teams for years to come.
“We must also build for the team that will play five years from now, 10 years from now and beyond,” he said.
Magwizi said breaking the cycle would require stronger structures, partnerships and investment, arguing that Zimbabwe’s football future depended on moving from simply demanding success to investing in its creation.