Relegation saga haunts Zifa
THE promotion saga that marred domestic football in 2016 is likely to haunt Zifa when the national association holds an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on January 20, as it violates the constitution.
Article 21 of the Zifa constitution recognises 16 clubs of the Premier Soccer League that should attend its congress and it was never amended to accommodate the extra two clubs Zifa ordered the PSL to accommodate.
The Zifa constitution merely says 16 PSL clubs, but doesn’t name them, meaning it will be difficult to single out a club not to be part of the congress.
“The resolution to have 18 clubs in the PSL was never passed by the Zifa congress and that presents a constitutional disaster when the EGM is held because which two clubs will be asked to leave? People are busy talking about other constitutional amendments, which are inconsequential, leaving out the key issue of the PSL clubs. We await the meeting to see what will happen, but believe you me, it’s a disaster awaiting to happen,” said a lawyer.
Another legal expert said relegated clubs, Harare City, Hwange, Bantu Rovers and Tsholotsho can actually challenge their chop and claim that they were playing social soccer under the PSL banner.
“Article 10 of the Zifa constitution says members of Zifa are the PSL clubs without giving any numbers, which is okay, but the sticking point comes when it gets to the delegates for the congress, which clearly states that 16 clubs of the PSL,” said the legal expert.
The legal experts said the meeting might eventually be forced to go ahead without all the 18 members of the PSL because of the tricky nature of identifying the two PSL delegates that must not be part of the meeting when the constitution does not provide for that.
When the promotion war erupted, the PSL had proposed staging play-offs, so that two teams from the four Zifa Division One leagues got promoted into the elite league to remain with 16, but councillors bullied the PSL into accepting the four promoted teams. However, that bullying was not followed up with a constitutional amendment. — @skhumoyo2000