The Sunday Mail
PREMIER Soccer League chief executive Kenny Ndebele says clubs are finding it difficult to meet the Caf requirements because Zifa are not playing ball.
“Every club that operates should have a licence, but at the moment Zifa have not come up with a licensing regulation as stipulated by Caf.
“They have to set up two boards, the first one which receives applications and the other which follows up on compliance according to Caf’s expectations, but this also has not been done,” Ndebele said.
Ndebele added that clubs that are promoted are now required to submit documentation to prove their capacity to compete in the Premier Soccer League as dictated by the requirements.
In addition, the league’s chief executive highlighted that compliance to such requirements would also help avoid ownership wrangles at clubs.
“For instance, the ownership wrangles that ravaged Chiredzi FC this season could have been avoided had club licensing regulations been followed.
“Harare City Football Club is another ownership case study. The club is currently considered to be owned by the Town Clerk, but the requirement is that they should set up a different entity with an executive which runs the day-to-day affairs of the club.
“This way they avoid cases where, for instance, money collected for service delivery is channelled to the club and money won by the club in competitions is channelled towards service delivery,” Ndebele said.
According to the Caf regulations the local soccer governing body should take the lead in club licensing.
“The member association is the licensor. It shall govern the club licensing system, appoint the corresponding licensing bodies and determine the necessary processes and procedures,” reads part of the continental soccer governing body’s regulations.
“For the implementation of the club licensing system, each member association must have a legal basis within its statutes which fully describes the objective of this system as well as confirming the authority of Clubs Licensing System and shall further contain a provision setting out the detailed regulations necessary to implement the club licensing system.
“The implementation of the clubs’ licensing system at the national level shall include but not be limited to the following steps and procedures:
a) The establishment of rules and regulations regarding sanctions to be imposed under the national clubs’ licensing system;
b) The integration of the minimum criteria necessary as defined in the present regulations;
c) The implementation of decisions necessary for the applicability of the licensing system to the licence applicants;
d) The option for the member association to delegate the club licensing system and its responsibilities to its affiliate member (professional/national league).
“In order to guarantee an appropriate assessment process, the member association shall, amongst other things:
a) Set up a schedule of sanctions applicable for the club licensing system, which pertains to the relevant licensing bodies to enable them to determine necessary sanctions against the necessary licence applicants/licensees.
“In addition to the obligations to submit full documentary evidence or fulfil certain preconditions by a certain deadline, the schedule of sanctions may include a caution, a fine, the deduction of points, a prohibition on concluding new transfer agreements or players’ contracts, and the licensor may impose sanction the club of any regulation.
“b) Refer the matter to its national disciplinary regulation with specific regard to the violation of the licensing regulation.”
