CARMICHAEL’S MARSHALL PLAN MUST ENTAIL

Sports Editor

Before the believers embrace me as a newly anointed Pastor, I must state for the record that I have not gone through the holy book with a fine-tooth comb but somewhere it does state that and I quote.

“Good intentions might sound nice but it’s positive actions that matter,”

Minutes after assuming the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) chairmanship, after his 15-11 votes victory over a beleaguered Peter ‘Touch’ Magagula, Mark Carmichael cleared his throat to anounce what he intends to do in his second bite on the cherry as head honcho.

Say your say Mark.

“I would like to thank BoGs more than anything. Mine is to thank you all for the second opportunity. I am humbled and very grateful to the clubs for a second chance after I left without informing you last time. This is not my first time so I will take the opportunity to also apologise to the teams for last time. It was beyond my control,”

Given the circumstances by which Carmichael stepped down unceremoniously after the betrayal by his own executive committee, which even saw his own team being overlooked in the EswatiniTelecom Charity Cup in 2018, there is no doubt the Denver Sundowns boss, for starters, needs to work on his emotional intelligence. I am glad, if not overtly proud, that he acknowledged this himself and in his first speech, he apologised profusely. That’s leadership in my books. It speaks to honesty, accountability and transparency. Besides those personal traits, it does not need rocket science to deduce that the PLE needs to re-brand, re-shape and re-organise itself.     

We have been trudging somewhere in the middle of nowhere, for far too long. We have been in the forest yet inexplicably we couldn’t see the trees, for a long time now.

Carmichael and his band of merry men need to continuously engage on the need to digitise and find relevant ways to be relevant in the post-COVID-19 era. In the entertainment industry, we have seen music artists and stables host some events on the digital space. Only those with innovative ways to continue engaging their fans will survive in the new normal. They need to embrace it; they need to come up with innovative ways to keep the existing sponsors interested in supporting the number one sport in the country.

Be that as it may, there are critical areas that need urgent attention by Carmichael and his Committee as soon as they sit down to strategise on how they are going to make lemon cider from the lemons thrown at us by COVID-19 and the maladministration that saw the sport suffer a huge knock in public confidence.

Sports Editor, Lwazi Dlamini outlines the five critical areas where the new PLE Executive Committee has to deliver – pronto.

HIRING NEW CEO WITH PROVEN TRACK RECORD

We all know now that the emotional decision to part ways with Simanga Nhleko as CEO has proven to be one of the biggest blots in the outgoing PLE Chairman’s leadership copybook and it has cost the organisation an arm and a leg. 

A staggering E600 000 still needs to be paid. Carmichael, more than anybody else, knows that the PLE Board of Governors’ structure insists on having a CEO as the man driving the objectives, goals and ambitions of the organisation. He has to ensure there is an organisational structure and the operating policies in place so that the organisation can deliver on its core mandate. 

The PLE needs a CEO with a proven track record. It can no longer keep making the same mistakes over and over again. 

Obviously it needs to reconsider the current package because clearly, excuse my French, if you pay peanuts you can only attract monkeys. The CEO has to be an independent someone with a proven track record in sports management, who can help put in place an organisational structure and clear roles in the PLE office, even for staff members.   

This is a crucial first hurdle Carmichael has to jump.

REVIEW AMBIGIOUS CONSTITUTION

The biggest enemy of the number one sport in the country is its archaic, ambiguous and counter-productive constitution. One philosopher once said: “when a law seeks to dominate rather than serve men, it has to be broken,”

Thank God, Carmichael, in his seven-month reign as Chairman after Gamedze’s sad demise, put in motion the constitutional review committee headed by top eagle, Zweli Jele, whose amendments have not been effected yet. 

This is an opportunity for Carmichael to ensure those amendments are effected and the document becomes the guiding principle and is in line with the objectives of the PLE. 

There are a lot of amendments that need to be included in the document to make a strong foundation on which to build a world-class, relevant and self-sufficient organisation. Some of the clauses meant to protect those in leadership even when they deliver zilch have to be scrapped. 

The PLE should be able to attract independent thinkers, market leaders, and intellectuals into its circle of trust to ensure diverse and progressive ideas.

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