Establishment of a National D1 League welcome, but...

Establishment of a National D1 League welcome, but....

ZIFA update SRC on EGM resolutions | The Herald — Xolisani Gwesela has been mum with details about the league

Hope Chizuzu

The anti-football prophets are getting their fair share of disappointment after clubs bidding to join the inaugural National Divisional One League gathers enough pace, that it is now a question of when and not if, to the starting of the season, The Page reports.

Clubs from the southern region, eastern and northern have responded by registering their interest but others that have not done are waiting to see it works or not.

Other clubs in Northern region are interested but are disappointed by the lack of adequate information from Zifa on the crucial subject.

And they're right because the acting CEO Xolisani Gwesela has not put out clear and adequate information on the league proposal and how it would be run to help clubs.

Instead, the scant available information has come from interim President Gift Banda who has said the national league is here to stay and is constitutional in every request.

He has added that clubs are initially coming by open invitation bearing in mind their capacity to run the full race of 38 league matches plus cup competition.

The said clubs must comply with the requisite club licensing protocols to ensure football development because this is the league that will see clubs promoted into the PSL.

At the time of writing, Zifa was expected at the end of this week to have confirmed those clubs that have shown interest and a statement of filling in the gaps, if still available, to fully constitute the 20 team league.

Teams currently playing in the four regional league will compete to qualify into the national league at the end of the season.

As it stands the regional leagues are now a third-tier league with the national league being the second tier.

National Division One league has suffered since 2013 from lack of implementation because football politicians feared that their power matrix would be hugely affected and their political egos pricked.

But now with the SRC recommendations expected to be announced next week, at the same time the convocation of the AGM being confirmed, it will be interesting to know which clubs have already joined the national league.

The Page is reliably informed of the confirmed clubs which already looks appetizing, although it is a shock that some clubs that would have been expected to subscribe like Eagles have not shown their interest, opting instead to dominate in the third tier, despite their quality being good enough for a wrung below the PSL which is the National Division One.

Of interest is that Herentals have registered their desire to compete in the national league after they were pipped on to the Northern region title by Simba Bhora last season.

The national league whose modalities will be clarified soon, promises to stoke fires of competition and development of the game.

A committee to run the league is being finalized while sponsorship for the same will rival if not tramp PSL if the top flight fails to review their deal with Castle Lager.

For once Zifa have done well in respecting the constitution by making sure the national league finally comes to fruition, a move that also affects the design of PSL.