The ManicaPost
BEYOND the annual recognition of Women’s Month, it is known, since time immemorial, that a society with little respect for its women is far from civilisation.
It is in this context that we implore for the respect of women in sport, football in particular, as it is the country’s most supported sporting code.
History is littered with shameful episodes of how women football teams have been struggling to access basic needs such as decent accommodation and food, as well as the allowances they are entitled to.
No serious football loving fan has forgotten the 2016 mid-November sad episode when Mighty Warriors were stranded as Zifa as they struggled to secure air tickets for their flight to Cameroon to participate in the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) finals.
The same year, the Mighty Warriors were literally dumped when they arrived in Harare from the 2016 Rio-Olympic Games.
Even after that historic feat of featuring in the revered global sports fete, the players were bundled into a battered minibus and were later given US$5 for transport by the authorities.
The Mighty Warriors claimed that they had been promised US$1 000 each for featuring in the games against Canada, Australia and Germany.
Two years earlier, a leading security company, Nokel Security, donated five luxury bus tickets for Bulawayo-based players who were stuck with the Mighty Warriors at ZIFA Village in Harare to return home.
This happened after their heroic performance against Botswana in the Africa Women Championship qualifier in which they won 2-1 to progress 3-1 on aggregate to the next round where they were set to face Zambia.
Such is the humiliating quagmire that women football finds itself in.
Even the Zifa Restructuring Committee, which was put in place by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) after the suspension of the Felton Kamambo-led Zifa board, highlighted all this in their report and recommendations.
“There is no supreme body overseeing all levels of the development of women’s football at all levels. Leagues are none operational owing to a lack of funding.
“Women should be empowered to manage their own affairs in football. Key to this is allowing them to have direct access to Fifa funding so that it is applied to intended purposes. Women should be included at all levels of the game’s administration on a quota system,” notes the Zifa Restructuring report.
No doubt, the sporting success starved nation stands to get more from women sport in general and women football in particular, but that can only be realised if resources are poured into women football administration and when the attitude changes positively.
That Zimbabwe has abundant talent in women football is beyond reproach and this is evidenced by the exhilarating skills that are showcased each time women football matches are played in local tournaments, few as they might be.
Issues relating to remuneration of players and coaches in women football are also of paramount importance.
For example, Zifa have pegged the Women Premier League referee fee at US$50 for the centre referee and US$40 for the assistant match officials.
The match commissioner also pockets US$50.
However, the fees can also be paid in Zimbabwean dollars as per the prevailing auction rate.
This is less than half, if not a third, of what their male counterparts get when officiating league matches.
A centre referee for a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match gets about US$150 for a single match.
For us to delve into figures of remuneration of players in most of the sponsor-less women football clubs we have in the country will not be good, especially for the faint-hearted.
At the end of the day, we can only implore authorities to take women football seriously as a way to provide a platform for the girl child to showcase her talents and ultimately let the nation benefit from both sports entertainment as well as the national pride that comes with winning medals in international competitions.
As we honour the achievements of women during this Women’s Month, we sincerely hope and pray for a change of attitude to women football.
