Zifa mourn death of Chris Sambo

ZIFA and the Premier Soccer League have mourned the sudden passing away of the league’s former chief executive officer Chris Sambo.

Sambo died at Parirenyatwa Hospital on Wednesday five days after celebrating his 69th birthday.

According to Sambo’s Lifelong Footballers Trust colleague Francis Zimunya, the former Blackpool chief executive officer passed away at a time he was busy working on bringing to life a multipurpose football complex in Harare and had brought in investors to fund the project.

In condolence messages issued by their spokespersons Xolisani Gwesela and Kudzai Bare, Zifa and the PSL said they learnt with deep shock and sadness of the untimely passing away of Sambo.

The PSL described him as a passionate and dedicated football servant who gave a lot to the game he loved.

Zifa said it learnt with ‘great consternation’ of the passing of Sambo, adding that football had lost a great servant, who served Zimbabwean football with tenacity and distinction.

“The giant of Zimbabwean football has been promoted to glory. His demise is undoubtedly a great blow to the game. Sambo was a sober voice driven by passion, excellence and professionalism for the success of the game. Even during his times at Blackpool, the club was professionally administered. His untimely death is a great loss, not only to the game, but also to the nation at large,” said Gwesela.

“A lot of football administrators, past and current, drew wisdom from Sambo’s wealth of knowledge and experience. In this moment of mourning and forever after, we shall derive consolation from the fact that Sambo left an indelible mark on the game he loved so much. We owe him one last promise, to continue developing the game to standards he envisaged.”

As chief executive officer of the league, the PSL said Sambo served with distinction and advocated for the full commercialisation of football and also facilitated various competitions and sponsorship models.

“His life, work and generosity will always be remembered by everyone who had the opportunity of working with him. As we mourn his sad departure, we celebrate his immense contribution in the development of local football. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Sambo family, friends and the entire football family. May the Lord comfort you during this difficult time,” Bare wrote.

Former PSL secretary general, Mwandibhuya Mutepfa, who is now based abroad, took to Facebook to mourn the passing of Sambo, whom he worked with.

“I cannot believe that you are gone my brother Chris. You were a true brother during our administration at PSL. You helped me when I was SG; we stood our ground on some issues that needed real men. Football will miss you. We treated all clubs the same, big or small without fear or favour. Go well Chriss Faranando Sambo,” wrote Mutepfa.

Sambo was expected to be laid to rest yesterday.

INTERNATIONAL rugby is set to resume in October after the World Rugby Council approved a temporary 2020 calendar following disruption caused by the coronavirus, it was announced yesterday.

The temporary global window will accommodate the completion of the 2020 men’s and women’s Six Nations championships on October 24 and 31, a rest weekend on November 7 and four consecutive rounds of international matches.

The Rugby Championship 2020, involving southern hemisphere nations, will take place over a reduced six-week period between November 7 and the second weekend in

December.

Southern hemisphere governing body SANZAAR wants to hold the tournament in New Zealand.

World Rugby said in a statement that approval came after “extensive and productive dialogue” between the sport’s major stakeholders, balancing the interests of the international game, the professional club game and player welfare.

World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said: “Throughout this process, all parties have sought to deliver the best possible outcome to support the interests of international and club rugby and the players.

“Agreement and approval of this schedule is exciting for players and fans and an important step in supporting our unions in mitigating financial impact and optimising the sport’s return from the pandemic in an equitable way.”

A fierce debate has raged over potential schedules, with the English Premiership and French league as well as players’ unions concerned over a possible fixture pile-up.

The sport has been in lockdown since March. The English Premiership is due to resume in mid-August and the knockout stages of the European club competitions in September. — AFP