Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
The much-anticipated ZIFA Executive Committee elections set for the 25th of next month have attracted a lot of interest, with 53 candidates vying for the nine slots available as Zimbabwe seeks a fresh start.
The situation is nothing that had been seen before, with 53 candidates looking to occupy only nine slots on the board.
According to the new constitution, the ZIFA Executive Committee will have 11 members, the President and two deputies, one of which should be a woman as well as eight board members, six that will be voted for, with the Premier Soccer League and the Women Premier Soccer League seconding a candidate each to make a total of 11 members.
Six candidates are battling for the presidency while 10 are seeking the two Vice-presidency positions with 37 more squaring off for the six board members slots in the January 25th election.
Sports Analyst Francis Nyamutsamba believes the big number signifies that everyone believes it’s a new start for Zimbabwean football after the FIFA ban and the subsequent appointment of the Normalisation Committee.
“There is a general consensus that there is need for the transformation of Zimbabwean football and after what happened before, everyone sees this as an opportunity for a fresh start.”
The new executive committee will be elected according to the 2024 ZIFA Statutes and Electoral Code which were adopted this year.
