The Sunday Mail
… Fifa endorse
. . . Kenny Ndebele set for new role
Makomborero Mutimukulu
Sports Editor
ZIMBABWEAN football took a new trajectory yesterday as councillors voted to dissolve and liquidate Zifa while the National Football Association of Zimbabwe came to life all with Fifa’s blessings.
Liquidation is a process whereby the operations of a company, which can no longer pay its dues as and when they come up, are bought to halt and its assets are divided among its creditors.
Yesterday’s development means that the newly constituted NFAZ is a different corporate individual to Zifa, whose debt hovers around $6 million, hence it cannot be asked to account for its predecessor’s actions.
On a day of drama the country’s football stakeholders first met at the Zifa Village where they overwhelmingly voted to dissolve the debt ridden Zifa and form NFAZ.
Two councillors abstained as 54 councillors voted in favour of a motion to dissolve Zifa.
After the Zifa village Indaba the councillors made a bee line to a Harare hotel where elections for new NFAZ board where held with Phillip Chiyangwa getting a fresh term.
The drive to breathe life into the local game is also expected to see respected football administrator and Premier Soccer League chief executive Kenny Ndebele being roped in as the new soccer governing body’s general secretary.
Ndebele will take over the powerful role left vacant by Jonathan Mashingaidze, whose contract was not renewed.
Fifa backed the move to dissolve Zifa after Chiyangwa, with the help of a strong legal team, presented a strong case which showed that the organisation was “financially and technically insolvent.”
In a letter to the world soccer governing body Chiyangwa pointed out that his efforts to chart a new direction for the association were being suffocated by a $6 million debt.
“Zifa’s current leadership has attempted to offset the claims against the organisation however this task has proved insurmountable due to the overwhelming multiplicity of claims that arise against Zifa on a daily basis,” he wrote.
“It is within this context that Zifa has consulted reputable law firms. As a result the consultations revealed that Zifa’s liabilities exceeded its assets by a wider margin thereby rendering it insolvent.
“In addition we were alerted to the fact that Zimbabwe’s laws do not allow an organisation to continue operating when it is insolvent.”
Chiyangwa, who has been trying his best to move mountains since his election to Zimbabwe’s top job on December 5 last year, also pleaded with Fifa to register Zimbabwe’s new football association soon after it’s incorporated.
And in their response, jointly signed by the director of legal affairs Marco Villiger and head of corporate legal Oliver Jaberg, Fifa gave Chiyangwa and his team the green light to put into motion steps to liquidate Zifa.
“After a thorough analysis of the facts reported in this context we kindly inform you that generally the liquidation of the Zimbabwe Football Association seems permissible and shall be governed by the terms of its statutes regarding its dissolution as well as in accordance with the terms of the applicable laws of Zimbabwe.
“In following the correct process for the dissolution of Zifa in accordance with its statutes and applicable laws of Zimbabwe this will also allow for the establishment of a new football association…
“Moreover we would like to highlight that the establishment of the new association is a completely separate process which means that initial elections will have to take place for all the necessary positions and bodies of the new football association,” reads part of a letter which was also copied to Caf.
The NFAZ elections proved ceremonial as the status quo was returned with Omega Sibanda bouncing back as vice president and Philemon Machana returning to the board.
