Staff Reporter
LONG-serving football administrator Sharif Mussa, who aspires to be on the ZIFA Executive committee, believes integrity is key to driving Zimbabwean Football forward.
Mussa has been in the game for close to thirty years, starting off as a volunteer at the 1995 All Africa Games before having a long distinguished stint as Warriors manager.
Now, he is a CAF match coordinator.
Mussa who is vying for a position in the ZIFA Executive committee believes integrity is key in driving football forward.
“We can have integrity in the association, which I stand for, we can have good facilities and everything else in place, but if you are not winning, then the value ceases to be seen.
At the end of the day, what we all want to see is a corrupt-free system that protects the integrity of the game.
“I think we need a sound dispute resolution set-up to avoid letting football issues be taken elsewhere. That removes credibility and damages the game’s reputation, so to say, and obviously, sponsors do not want to be associated with something that has got a tainted image for obvious reasons,” he said.
Mussa also believes his experience as a servant of the game is key in helping the new board.
“I think I have established wide contacts that can help improve the game in this country. Football is all about networking, and that can add a lot of value. We can have partners from within the country, including the government, and from outside the country as well. Our football will never go wrong in terms of value. We have stagnated for quite a long time.”
Mussa is currently ZIFA’s First Instance Board (FIB) chairman and is synonymous with success having been with the Warriors for their first three AFCON campaigns, two COSAFA cup successes, and the 2014 CHAN tournament when they finished fourth.
The ZIFA elections are set for the 25th of January in Harare.