{"id":9799,"date":"2025-10-02T12:41:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T12:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/?p=9799"},"modified":"2025-10-02T12:41:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T12:41:30","slug":"zimbabwe-football-association-zifa-president-strikes-hopeful-tone-on-football-revival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/?p=9799","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) president strikes hopeful tone on football revival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Sithembinkosi L. Jiyane<br>Sports Reporter<br>www.zimgbcnews.co.zw<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u200eZimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) President Nqobile Magwizi has admitted the frustration caused by Zimbabwe\u2019s recent football struggles but expressed confidence that the game can be revived through reforms, stronger leadership, and national unity.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eHe said steps have already been taken to restore credibility, including improved cooperation with FIFA, Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA), governance reforms, and advances in refereeing that have placed Zimbabwe among the first in the region to implement Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and produce internationally accredited officials.<br>\u200e<br>\u200e\u201cZimbabwe now leads in refereeing reforms. We are among the first in the region to implement Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and our officials are being recognised on the international stage,\u201d Magwizi said.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eMagwizi revealed that the country could host another CAF tournament before year-end, describing it as a sign of renewed continental trust. He also pointed to the revival of youth structures, with U15 and U17 programmes reintroduced in schools to secure a steady pipeline of talent.<br>\u200e<br>\u200e\u201cWe are bringing back youth football. Our U15 and U17 programmes are being reintroduced in schools because the future of the game depends on nurturing young talent,\u201d he noted.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eOn the senior team, Magwizi confirmed the Warriors\u2019 technical bench has been reinforced, with former captain Kaitano Tembo joining head coach Michael Nees as assistant, alongside administrator Sharif Mussa. The pair is expected to instill discipline and professionalism as Zimbabwe prepares for upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.<br>\u200e<br>\u200e\u201cWith Kaitano Tembo and Sharif Mussa on board, we are strengthening both discipline and professionalism in the Warriors set-up,\u201d he said.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eMagwizi urged supporters to remain patient and united, promising that the association is committed to building a stronger, competitive Warriors side.<br>\u200e<br>\u200e\u201cI ask our supporters to remain patient and united. We are working tirelessly to ensure the Warriors become a team that brings joy and pride to Zimbabwe again,\u201d Magwizi added.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eWhile the president\u2019s speech struck an optimistic tone, the real test will come on the pitch, where fans await results that can restore pride in Zimbabwean football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow Zim GBC News for Updates<br>\u200e\ud83d\udcf1 WhatsApp\/Hotline: +263 773 820 323<br>\u200e\ud83c\udf10 Website: www.zimgbcnews.co.zw<br>\u200e\ud83d\udcd8 Facebook: Zim GBC News<br>\u200e\ud83d\udc26 X (Twitter): @ZimGBCNews<br>\u200e\ud83d\udcf8 Instagram: @ZimGBCNews<br>\u200e\u25b6\ufe0f YouTube: Zim GBC News<br>\u200e<br>\u200e<strong>ZimGBCNews<\/strong> | Global News On An African Perspective\u00a92025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sithembinkosi L. JiyaneSports Reporterwww.zimgbcnews.co.zw \u200eZimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) President Nqobile Magwizi has admitted the frustration caused by Zimbabwe\u2019s recent football struggles but expressed confidence that the game can be revived&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9799"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9801,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9799\/revisions\/9801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}