HARARE - Twine Phiri will lead the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for the next four years after the CAPS United boss was overwhelmingly retained for a second term on Sunday at the league’s annual general meeting.
Phiri defeated Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa by 12 votes to three in polls held at the Cresta Lodge in Harare.
The CAPS United president could not contain his joy as his victory became inevitable halfway through the counting of ballots by Zifa electoral committee chairman Elizabeth Banda.
Phiri was grateful to the electorate for handing him a second term before promising to bring more sponsorship to Zimbabwe’s topflight league.
“The first time I gave it 100 percent,” Phiri said.
“This time I’m going to give 150 percent. I’m an interested party in this league and I’m happy my colleagues have put their faith in me.
“I can promise that on top of the sponsors we already have, I have a 16-team tournament coming this year.”
The CAPS president said his second term will provide continuity.
“I think it is good for football. Why? Because I had some projects which I had started and have not completed,” he said.
“I have a lot of people who I have been working with and the same people want to come in with more projects.
“I’m happy that I will continue working with these sponsors.
“Remember when I came into office in 2010 the league had no sponsor, I managed to get four sponsors and now I have one more coming on board, making them five.”
And Mubaiwa, who traded his unorthodox dress code for an immaculate suit and tie, gracefully accepted defeat but hinted that this was not the end of his fight for the chairmanship post.
“I’m going to contest in the next elections in 2018, I will be well prepared then,” he said.
Mubaiwa believes the financial problems bedevilling Dynamos had no impact on the decision made by the electorate as “all the PSL clubs are going through the same problems.”
“I think people had confidence in Phiri than in me. You know what they say ‘the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know,’ so maybe it worked out for Phiri.”
Highlanders chairman Peter Dube, who assumed the PSL vice-chairmanship unopposed, said he was going to work overtime to ensure the league ran professionally.
“This is a big business and big businesses need to be protected,” he said.
Newly-promoted ZPC Kariba was the only club not represented at the PSL polls with their executive member Saidi Sangula conspicuous by his absence.