ZIMBABWE Football Association (Zifa) president Cuthbert Dube will be one of the four high-profile panellists at this year’s Soccerex African Forum on November 4-5 in Durban, South Africa.
WELLINGTON TONI SPORTS EDITOR
Dube will join Football Association of Zambia president Kalusha Bwalya, Sam Nyamweya, president of the Kenya Football Federation (KFF), and Kwesi Nyantakyi, president of the Ghana Football Association, at the annual event that will be in its third edition.
Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze confirmed that his boss would be in Durban early next month. “It’s confirmed, he will be there.”
Last year’s event, also in Durban, was attended by Premier Soccer League chairman Twine Phiri, the league’s chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele, Mbada Diamonds representatives and media representatives from across the region.
Chief executive officer of the 2013 African Cup of Nations Local Organising Committee, Mvuzo Mbebe, Supersport executive producer (Africa) Max Tshunungwa and media officer Itu Senne were also part of the last year’s event.
Supersport are PSL’s broadcast partners.
Zimbabwean clubs, because of the financial crisis affecting almost all clubs in the topflight, have not been visible in the last two editions of the event, especially last year’s event which was also graced by Liverpool legend John Barnes.
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The event will discuss the challenges faced when leading a nation’s sporting future, from working with sponsors and stakeholders, improving training facilities and coaching, getting financial support and improving the national team’s performance and bidding for major events.
In a statement, the organisers of the event said: “The session will offer delegates the chance to know first-hand the issues that confront African football at the top level and what the future holds for the beautiful game on the continent, particularly with regards to pressing matters around betting and match-fixing, financial balance and player salaries, major events organisation and safety in stadiums.’
Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said: “It is a privilege to have four national FA presidents speaking at the Forum. The scope of information available to our delegates is immense, coming from such a diverse array of leading continental figures. I’m looking forward to hearing how the relationships between stakeholders in African nations differ.”
The Soccerex African Forum will bring together 1 000 senior football decision-makers together with businesses from across the continent and the world for two days of unrivalled learning, networking and business opportunities to unite the business of football in Africa.
Held in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government and eThekwini Municipality, at the magnificent Moses Mabhida Stadium, it is attended by the game’s leading administrators, national sports ministers, key business figures and football legends, all with the same objective of growing the business side of football on the continent.
Institutionally supported by the Confederation of African Football (Caf), it will provide a platform for the key issues to be addressed including club licensing, league development, major event delivery, commercial best practice as well as a large emphasis on the relationship between sport and governance, which last year saw seven national sports ministers in attendance.
