In 2025, businessman
Wicknell Chivayo faced criticism for allegedly attempting to influence the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) presidential election by publicly promising vehicles and financial incentives, including a US$200,000 Toyota Land Cruiser for his preferred candidate Nqobile Magwizi, brand-new cars for ZIFA councillors and a multi‑million‑dollar sponsorship package conditional on Magwizi's victory. Critics argued that these pledges amounted to vote-buying under the FIFA Code of Ethics. Chivayo denied the allegations, insisting that his support for ZIFA under Magwizi's leadership did not constitute vote-buying and emphasising that, as a private businessman, he was not bound by the FIFA Code of Ethics. In January 2025, following Magwizi's election as ZIFA president, Chivayo announced that a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series valued at about R3.2 million (approximately US$200,000) had been purchased for the new ZIFA head. In February 2026, Chivayo stated that he had bought a 2026 Range Rover Sport D350 Autobiography Limited Edition worth about R4 million for Magwizi and invited him to collect it from a Harare dealership, praising him for what he described as restoring structure and transparency at ZIFA and for ensuring that the
Zimbabwe national football team was fully funded and adequately catered for during the
2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, which he called a “rare occurrence” in Zimbabwean football. Subsequent reports, citing the FIFA Code of Ethics, noted that Magwizi was unlikely to accept the vehicle because accepting such a high-value gift from a football benefactor could breach regulations on gifts to officials, and that he had reportedly declined the offer. ==ZIFA regions==