Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League in the Context of COVID 19

Abstract

The paper examines the emerging impact of COVID-19 on soccer in Zimbabwe. It focuses on the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League (ZPSL) to highlight how football leagues with historical challenges of funding and a lack of disaster preparedness have been impacted by the pandemic. We utilize a desk research approach to understand how football authorities, clubs, administrators, and players have been impacted by the failure of the league to start due to COVID 19-induced lockdowns. The paper also explores the various efforts put in place to ensure football starts again in the country and the impact of these measures. COVID-19 has entrenched and worsened the already existent economic and political challenges facing football in Zimbabwe, which include lack of financial sustainability of clubs, poor administration, corruption, lack of sponsorship, and a general malaise of the sport in the country.

 

本文探讨了COVID-19对津巴布韦足球的新影响。它侧重于津巴布韦足球超级联赛（ZPSL），以强调足球联赛在资金和缺乏备灾方面的历史挑战是如何受到这一流行病的影响的。我们采用桌面研究方法，了解足球当局、俱乐部、管理人员和球员如何受到联赛因 COVID 19 导致的锁定而未能启动的影响。文件还探讨了为确保足球在国内重新开始而作出的各种努力以及这些措施的影响。COVID-19已经巩固并恶化了津巴布韦足球已经存在的经济和政治挑战，其中包括俱乐部缺乏财政可持续性、管理不善、腐败、缺乏赞助，以及该国足球运动的普遍弊病。

Keywords:

• Soccer
• COVID 19
• Zimbabwe
• sport
• football clubs

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gerald Dandah

Gerald Dandah (MSc, Media and Society Studies, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe) is a PhD Candidate at the Centre for Gender and African Studies, University of Free State (South Africa). Mr. Dandah’s research interests include Sport Sociology, Sport, Gender and the Media, Sport for Development as well as Social Inclusion and Sport. He is also currently a practicing freelance sport journalist and a FIFA-certified sports manager.

Manase Kudzai Chiweshe

Manase Kudzai Chiweshe (PhD Sociology, Rhodes University, South Africa) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Community and Social Development at the University of Zimbabwe and Research Associate in the Department of Sociology at Rhodes University, South Africa. Dr Chiweshe’s research interests include sociology of everyday life in African spaces with a special focus on football, gender, social identity, and livelihoods.