The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
THE much-anticipated ZIFA Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), widely tipped to resolve the country’s football crisis, will go ahead as scheduled on April 23, with the bullish ZIFA Congress now hoping soccer’s governing body FIFA will ratify the outcome of the crucial indaba.
A consultative meeting attended by 40 of the 60 members of the ZIFA Congress in Harare yesterday also laid the roadmap towards the EGM.
Critically for the councillors, in their letter suspending Zimbabwe, FIFA left room for engagement, and the re-engagement process will largely be driven by Congress.
However, before they re-engage FIFA, the councillors felt they needed to consult among themselves and seek clarity on potentially sticky legal issues around their bid to hold the EGM.
Following a no-holds barred marathon indaba at a Harare hotel, the Congress resolved to put in place a six-member adhoc committee chaired by Northern Region boss Martin Kweza to spearhead the process.
The suspended ZIFA board, comprising of president Felton Kamambo, Philemon Machana, Farai Jere, Sugar Chagonda, Bryton Malandule, Barbra Chikosi and Stanley Chapeta, will be invited to attend the EGM and answer a litany of charges that will be finalised by Congress.
This was the first gathering of ZIFA councillors since FIFA’s decision to suspend Zimbabwe from international football on February 25 citing third-party interference.
Kamambo and his executive committee are facing allegations which include embezzlement of Covid-19 relief funds and sexual abuse of female referees.
They were suspended by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) on November 16 before FIFA ordered their reinstatement.
SRC, however, refused to budge.
While applauding SRC’s move to act to stop the rot, there was consensus by ZIFA councillors at the indaba that Congress is the rightful authority to deal with the football crisis.
Kweza, who chaired the meeting alongside PSL governor and Harare City chairperson Alois Masepe, believes FIFA’s suspension has no bearing on internal processes at ZIFA, including the holding of the EGM.
“We wanted to have clarity on some of the issues; that was the purpose of this meeting, and also to decide on our EGM. We also invited legal counsel to help us with some legal issues,” said Kweza.
“In brief, the meeting was talking about the separation of powers between the Executive Committee, the Congress and also the secretariat vis-à-vis the role of the SRC. “We deliberated on all those issues.”
Councillors agreed that Congress is the supreme decision-making body of ZIFA, and the Executive Committee reports to it.
A decision was also taken to proceed with the EGM.
“We are just waiting for the 90 days to lapse, and they are lapsing on April 3.
“On April 4 we are calling our EGM in terms of section 28 of the constitution.
“And this will lead us to have our EGM on April 23. You will notice the 14 days’ notice fall during the middle of the week, so the 23rd is a weekend,” added Kweza.
The councillors are also mindful that FIFA insisted on being provided evidence to back allegations being levelled against the board. “We also agreed that we put together a working committee that is going to look at the charges that we raised and also come up with water-tight charges that we will then present to the current suspended Executive Committee.”
Yesterday’s indaba also looked at the impact and meaning of the FIFA suspension on local football.
After convening the EGM, the councillors will come up with resolutions, which will subsequently be communicated to both the SRC and FIFA.
FIFA will in turn review, consider and come up with a position.
Harare City FC chairperson Masepe indicated that the SRC justifiably stepped in to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
“Basically, we are the highest body in as far as the management of soccer is concerned in the country.
“The SRC is a regulatory body and it only came to the fore as a result of our management truancy,” said Masepe.
“We went to sleep and the SRC stepped in. Now we are saying we are taking over and we want FIFA to acknowledge that.
“FIFA has not stopped our EGM. FIFA have actually given advice. So, we remain advised by FIFA.
“In this meeting there were no contradictions, what we want to see happen is normalcy in our football administration and we are all agreed as Congress that the way to go is the EGM.”
Congress, he added, were the rightful body to deal with crisis in local football.
“It is a Congress issue and FIFA will feel comfortable dealing with Congress, not with the SRC. And we are providing that forum.
“After all, we are the people who elected the ZIFA Executive Committee and we are the only people who can un-elect them. But we are not saying the EGM is about accusing them.
“We are saying come forward and clear your names. We are democrats,” he said.
