CASH-STRAPPED Zifa has put up yet another committee in a bid to mobilise resources for the senior men national football team to fulfil a 2014 Brazil World Cup qualifying match in Egypt at the end of March. The Warriors are set to travel to Cairo during the weekend of March 22-24 for a Group G qualifying match against group leaders Egypt, but the trip looks uncertain as Zifa is battling to raise funds.
REPORT BY HENRY MHARA SPORTS REPORTER
Zifa needs at least $150 000 for the trip. Preparations for the match were set to begin yesterday, with a regional tournament for non-Premier league players at Rufaro Stadium, but the tourney was cancelled at the last minute as Zifa failed to secure sponsorship.
Board member for competitions Benedict Moyo yesterday disclosed that another committee following in the heels of the Mzansi90 and the soon-to-be-set Football Trust, has been put in place.
The committee, christened “Dollar for Football” was set-up during a Zifa Board meeting on Saturday. “It’s not a secret that Zifa is broke and there is no guarantee at the moment that we will fulfil the match in Egypt. We will only confirm the trip when we get the money. There is nothing in our coffers at the moment so the trip is off,” said Moyo. “We don’t have the money and we are appealing to the corporate world, the government and the public to help us. We have set up the Dollar for Football committee and these people will be targeting the public to donate at least a dollar to our coffers. We are 16 million in Zimbabwe and if everyone can donate a dollar, then we will come out of the problems we are currently in. We have other people who love our football and we know they will give more than a dollar.”
Moyo said the process would be very transparent. “Every dollar will be accounted for. All the donations will be published in the Press on a weekly basis so the public should be assured that their money is in safe hands. We are doing this for our national team and I hope that every soccer loving Zimbabwean will help us,” said Moyo.
