Moffat Mungazi
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
ESSENTIALLY, a Curriculum Vitae (CV) is designed to summarise one’s academic, professional and personal, where relevant, achievements in order to entice or interest a hiring manager when applying for a new job opportunity.
In equal measure, if ZIFA councillors who will vote in the January 25 ZIFA board election are looking at one’s achievements and capabilities in the administration of the game of football and nothing else, then ZIFA board aspirant, Cuthbert Chitima’s powerful CV could be what they are looking for.
A businessman and former banker with 25 years at Stanbic Bank to head of treasury and international operations, Chitima is the founder and president of Gunners Football Academy (Pvt) Ltd, who led Gunners Football Club to Zimbabwe football champions in 2009, the same year he was voted sports administrator of the year.
An old hand in the administration of the game of football, Chitima is in domestic football administration corridors being a former PSL governor and board member of the Premier Soccer League.
He also led CAPS United Football Club as the chief executive when the club won the 2016 Premiership title.
The following year, under his stewardship, the CAPS United Class of 2017 reached the CAF Champions League mini-league
He said: “As your servant leader, humble, approachable, thorough and a project specific corporate governance evangelist, I wish to use my 25 years banking experience, technical and junior development experience, to add value to the ZIFA football ecosystem.
“Huge success with building a football academy that developed into a top club that culminated into a champions League club (Gunners FC) with minimum finances, I helped engineer the club into a project of pride.
“Such experience merged with other football expertise to be joined into the ZIFA ecosystem, gives this nation hope that teamwork, guaranteed in partnerships at the FA, is an exciting prospect for Zimbabwe.”
The Betterbrands financial administrator believes his experience in organising competitions, marketing the product, is a passion that he hopes will add to the football brand.
“We need to build the entire structure with a bias towards development and competition, invariably gives Zimbabwe a quality end product.
“Experience in organising competitions, marketing the product, is a passion that I hope to add to the football brand that gives national teams football a lift, while appealing to the global market.
“Technical improvisation embodied in football development, technical refinery with cultural core values, is a thing I hope to join with other qualities the 11 members will bring to the football table.
“Brand values, developed over years of day-to-day planning and implementation during a time I was CEO with a strong brand like CAPS United, (a top-flight franchise since 1979), equipped me with the knowledge of the inner football workshop,” he said. Chitima also spoke of the need to build bridges with the country’s Central authority, regional and international football bodies.
“Building bridges with Government, COSAFA, CAF and FIFA to ensure high level competition for our brand products, are key features of what I will bring to the game.
“Crucially, my versatility to merge into the vision of the ZIFA president, executive committee members’ qualities and the assembly at large, is a competence I bring to the football table, for national development.
“As an executive committee member, I hope to promote holistic national teams’ development, participation and competition. All national teams, from development stages (Under-15, 17, 20 and 23) to seniors must have one philosophy (identity) and a pattern of play.
“Treating national teams as one brand development, is key. Women football, clubs and national teams require equal attention and financing as men with total participation in all available competitions (COSAFA, CAF and FIFA).
“That is the vision and the value that I want to bring to the FA. Organising competitions as brand values must be our national goal,” said Chitima.
