Broaden football coverage, journalists urged
ACADEMIC Lyton Ncube has implored local sports journalists to widen their coverage of football in the country in order for the world’s most beautiful game to expand.
Delivering a presentation on the role of the media in football development on the last day of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League organised workshop in Harare last Friday, Ncube noted with concern that most of the coverage tends to focus on the country’s biggest teams like Highlanders and Dynamos. Ncube a Midlands State University Media Studies lecturer said the smaller teams like Tsholotsho need to be focused on.
“Coverage should go beyond Dynamos FC and Highlanders FC, Tsholotsho FC also needs attention, junior football also needs attention, there is talent beyond the urban areas and the media need to appreciate that. Women football deserves equal treatment from their male counterparts, sexism should be avoided in reporting, ‘’ said Ncube.
Ncube, a Phd holder noted that prior to the Zimbabwe Football Association as well as PSL elections the media reported on personalities instead of looking at capabilities of the administrators. His feeling is that journalists should not abuse the media to have a go at others but instead remain objective.
“Prior to Zifa or PSL elections we have seen the media reporting on personalities instead of looking at capabilities of administrators. A clear trend where certain personalities report on specific personalities. The media must not be used as weapons-attack dogs unleashed to attack others, objectivity and impartiality remain sacrosanct.
“Public interests in the game must be protected. The media also need to play their natural roles of informing and educating players about their rights — development should empower. Rather than merely acting as agents advocating for the sale of players there is a need to educate players about the implications of player movement,’’ Ncube concluded.
He received a standing ovation at the end of his presentation from the 33 journalists drawn from various media houses, the bulk of whom are on the panel which votes for the Soccer Stars of the Year. Ncube, as part of his Phd thesis spent two years studying the competition between Highlanders Dynamos fans.
He concluded that the enmity between the two sets of fans is so fierce that it is at par with some of the world’s greatest rivalries.
Various topics were covered during the insightful seminar with the other speakers being PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele, Zifa communications and media manager Xolisani Gwesela, former referees Wilfred Mukuna as well as Brighton Mudzamiri. Six clubs sent in their communication officers for the workshop, these being Highlanders, Caps United, Harare City, FC Platinum, Hwange and Chicken Inn.
PSL chairman Peter Dube, speaking on the day of the official opening of the workshop on Thursday said they were looking to make the event a yearly occurrence. Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa officially opened the workshop.