Zimbabwe minister blasts CAF on failed bid

ZIMBABWE’S Sports Minister has echoed the sentiments made by Namibian Minister of Sport John Mutorwa that southern African countries were unfairly treated by CAF in the 2010 bid.

Zimbabwe’s Minister of Education, Sport and Culture, Aeneas Chigwedere, accused the CAF leadership of being insensitive to the interests of southern African nations and only interested in oil-producing countries. Chigwedere, who led the Zimbabwean delegation that lost the 2010 Nations Cup bid in Cairo last week, said the loss had little to do with the country’s shortcomings but a CAF leadership hostile to southern African countries.The minister said it was unfair for the media to blame the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for the failed bid because there was no fair play at CAF and bids were not judged on merit.Three southern African nations, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia, fell on the wayside in a controversial vote as the CAF leadership shortlisted Angola, Libya, Nigeria and a joint bid from Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to battle for the right to host the Nations Cup finals.Nigeria and Libya have hosted the Nations Cup finals before while Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon will be hoping to bring the tournament to their soil for the first time.Southern Africa has only hosted one Nations Cup final and that was in 1996 when South Africa got their chance, by default, after Kenya ran out of time.Zimbabwe should have hosted the tournament four years later but lost the rights in another controversial move linked to the fallout that followed the Fifa elections in France in 1998.Media reports said CAF president Issa Hayatou had promised Uefa boss Lennart Johansson that he would deliver all votes from African countries in his battle against Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency at the time.In return, Hayatou would have replaced Johansson as Fifa president four years later.But southern and east African countries rebelled against Hayatou and voted for Blatter, who won the battle for the highest office in football.Predictably, there was a price to pay for the rebels and the switch of the Nations Cup finals from Zimbabwe to Ghana and Nigeria was viewed as the first punishment from the CAF leadership.Chigwedere believes that the political games within CAF are still being played out within the corridors of the organisation’s headquarters.”So much has already been said about why Zimbabwe did not win the AFCON Bid for 2010 in Cairo, Egypt on May 14.The main allegation is that ZIFA fumbled its way and bungled the Zimbabwe bid.This is all speculation from people who do not know the history of the tournament.For us or any other southern African country to win the bid, that country has either to translocate to North Africa or West Africa or stumble on huge oil deposits,” he said.”This means that in practice, the tournament is not for the geographical continent of Africa but for North and West Africa.The rest of us are simple pawns in their game.We are important to them but only for assisting them to develop their economies.The history of the tournament since its inception in 1957 proves this beyond any doubt,’ said Chigwerere.He noted that North Africa has hosted the tournament 10 times and wants to host the 2010 Nations Cup finals for the 11th time through Libya.West Africa, he noted, has hosted the tournament eight times and wants to host it for the ninth time in 2010.Southern Africa, he notes, has only hosted it once and that was by default since it was originally intended for Kenya.”Given this scenario, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe stood no chance whatsoever.It was very apparent in Cairo that the line-up was determined long before May 14, the bid day.We did not win because we were not considered.We were not considered because we belong to the wrong geographical and political zone,” said Chigwedere.Hayatou, who is from Cameroon, has for a long time now been accused of just favouring the interests of his West African base and his hosts in North Africa.- NampaChigwedere, who led the Zimbabwean delegation that lost the 2010 Nations Cup bid in Cairo last week, said the loss had little to do with the country’s shortcomings but a CAF leadership hostile to southern African countries.The minister said it was unfair for the media to blame the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for the failed bid because there was no fair play at CAF and bids were not judged on merit.Three southern African nations, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia, fell on the wayside in a controversial vote as the CAF leadership shortlisted Angola, Libya, Nigeria and a joint bid from Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to battle for the right to host the Nations Cup finals.Nigeria and Libya have hosted the Nations Cup finals before while Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon will be hoping to bring the tournament to their soil for the first time.Southern Africa has only hosted one Nations Cup final and that was in 1996 when South Africa got their chance, by default, after Kenya ran out of time.Zimbabwe should have hosted the tournament four years later but lost the rights in another controversial move linked to the fallout that followed the Fifa elections in France in 1998.Media reports said CAF president Issa Hayatou had promised Uefa boss Lennart Johansson that he would deliver all votes from African countries in his battle against Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency at the time.In return, Hayatou would have replaced Johansson as Fifa president four years later.But southern and east African countries rebelled against Hayatou and voted for Blatter, who won the battle for the highest office in football.Predictably, there was a price to pay for the rebels and the switch of the Nations Cup finals from Zimbabwe to Ghana and Nigeria was viewed as the first punishment from the CAF leadership.Chigwedere believes that the political games within CAF are still being played out within the corridors of the organisation’s headquarters.”So much has already been said about why Zimbabwe did not win the AFCON Bid for 2010 in Cairo, Egypt on May 14.The main allegation is that ZIFA fumbled its way and bungled the Zimbabwe bid.This is all speculation from people who do not know the history of the tournament.For us or any other southern African country to win the bid, that country has either to translocate to North Africa or West Africa or stumble on huge oil deposits,” he said.”This means that in practice, the tournament is not for the geographical continent of Africa but for North and West Africa.The rest of us are simple pawns in their game.We are important to them but only for assisting them to develop their economies.The history of the tournament since its inception in 1957 proves this beyond any doubt,’ said Chigwerere.He noted that North Africa has hosted the tournament 10 times and wants to host the 2010 Nations Cup finals for the 11th time through Libya.West Africa, he noted, has hosted the tournament eight times and wants to host it for the ninth time in 2010.Southern Africa, he notes, has only hosted it once and that was by default since it was originally intended for Kenya.”Given this scenario, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe stood no chance whatsoever.It was very apparent in Cairo that the line-up was determined long before May 14, the bid day.We did not win because we were not considered.We were not considered because we belong to the wrong geographical and political zone,” said Chigwedere.Hayatou, who is from Cameroon, has for a long time now been accused of just favouring the interests of his West African base and his hosts in North Africa.- Nampa