FIFA President Gianni Infantino pledged his support for ZIFA counterpart Nqobile Magwizi's mission ahead of the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt
FIFA Forward Programme and Football for Schools among the initiatives Zimbabwe has benefitted from
Mr Magwizi promises improvements on and off the pitch, with FIFA help
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) counterpart Nqobile Magwizi spoke about "uniting Zimbabweans through football" with FIFA support when they met ahead of the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt.
Zimbabwe boasts one of Africa's first women's national teams, founded in 1991, while the men's national team were ranked 40th in the FIFA-Coca Cola Men's World Ranking™ in 1995, but football in the country had stalled in the years since.
But support from the FIFA Forward Programme contributed to a ZIFA restructuring project in 2020 and the re-introduction of youth leagues in 2021, while 10,720 footballs were sent to schools nationwide under the FIFA Football for Schools initiative in 2024. Mr Infantino is confident such efforts will pay dividends.
"I was delighted to have the opportunity to talk football with Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) President Nqobile Magwizi ahead of the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo. I congratulated him on his election, and look forward to working with him and his team to ensure the beautiful game prospers in their incredible country," he said after the meeting, which was also attended by Kevin Lamour, FIFA Chief Operating Officer, and Gelson Fernandes, FIFA Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer and Regional Director Africa.
"Zimbabwe has great pedigree in both men’s and women’s football, and under President Magwizi, I am confident that we will see both flourish. His experience in business and in sport means he is ideally placed to lead growth in the game on and off the pitch, and FIFA will provide the support ZIFA needs to achieve their goals."
Mr Magwizi was elected ZIFA President in January, winning by a historic 85% margin and declaring a new era in Zimbabwean football, which he said was "20 years behind". He was delighted to meet Mr Infantino as he brainstormed what the next steps might be in his nation's footballing journey.
"The critical discussion points focused on the importance of building a sustainable football ecosystem for Zimbabwe and establishing a strong football association capable of delivering for the passionate football-loving public," Mr Magwizi said.
He also elaborated on the need for a new venue for the country's national teams, with the 60,000 National Sports Stadium in the capital Harare having fallen into disrepair.
"We spoke about the need for a stadium. The current site – it's unacceptable for an entire nation to be without a proper stadium. As a minimum, every country should have at least one stadium where matches are played.
"There is a lot of support that FIFA will give our FA to just make sure we meet our obligations on a regular basis, to ensure that we deliver on the promises and unite Zimbabweans through football."