ZIFA have embarked on their ambitious project of constructing a multi-million-dollar hotel as part of its promised revenue-generation projects to ensure self-sustainability of the football federation.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The local soccer controlling body yesterday invited investors for the development of the hotel and conference facility at its Mt Hampden stand located near the new Parliament building.
Zifa president Felton Kamambo in his election manifesto promised that the association would build a hotel to ease accommodations challenges for all national teams as part of their development agenda.
Although his reign, since taking over in December 2018, has been characterised by squabbles emanating from power struggles, which threatened to alienate the game from the corporate world, Kamambo appears to be walking the talk as he pushes to take the game forward.
Dismissed by critics as a wild dreamer, the latest development signals thought leadership, determined to develop the Zimbabwean game.
Acting Zifa vice-president Philemon Machana said because of the strategic location of the Zifa Village, which is only a stone’s throw from the new Parliament building, site of the new city, they saw a good business opportunity and decided to embark on the project. “We saw a business opportunity because of its strategic location. What informed us to venture into this project was that we were receiving offers from companies which wanted to partner us in the project. So we saw it as a good business opportunity because of the strategic location of the Zifa Village. Once it is completed, the association will generate revenue through dividends,” Machana said.
According to the advertisement, Zifa is seeking serious local or international bidders to be considered for the engineering, procurement and construction of the proposed hotel on an agreed BOT (build and operate transfer) arrangement.
