Madness at ZIFA should stop

THE madness obtaining at ZIFA offices is totally unacceptable. In the past few weeks, the nation has woken up to depressing back page headlines almost on a daily basis where football administrators are throwing punches at each other and doing nothing on football development.

The endless plotting and in-house fighting that has dented Felton Kamambo’s tenure as ZIFA president is getting out of hand.

This week was particularly bad for football in this country as Kamambo and his rogue team of suspended board members continued to foment chaos after announcing wholesale suspensions that affected the Premier Soccer League office, PSL clubs, the ZIFA secretariat and some members of the ZIFA Assembly.

The suspended board members, who are under fire from the ZIFA Assembly members over alleged maladministration, are targeting those involved in the planning of a special extraordinary general meeting that intends to revoke their mandate.

The indaba was supposed to take place last weekend but FIFA advised that it be held in April. And, the Kamambo-led board seized the opportunity to pounce on perceived adversaries.

They are desperate to stop the EGM which was properly requested under Article 28(2) of the ZIFA constitution.

Those targeted included Martin Kweza (Northern Region), Sweeney Mushonga (Northern Region), David Muchena (Eastern Region), Derrick Matapure (Mashonaland West), Nobioth Magwizi (Masvingo Province) and Moses Chikoti (Northern Region Area Zone).

Three Premier Soccer League club chairmen that include Dynamos’ Isaiah Mupfurutsa, Josphat Sibanda of Highlanders and Nhamo Tutisani have also been caught up in the storm.

This desperate move was a clear message from a leadership that has abdicated their core mandate and decided to channel more of their energies in fighting each other.

The board fights resemble an uncouth political party rather than a champion of football development in Zimbabwe. This is not what our football deserves.

The football community expected a refreshingly new experience when Kamambo and his lieutenants were ushered into office during the highly-charged December 2018 ballot.

His election to the ZIFA presidency was largely a sympathy vote, after he had played the victim in the squabbles that consumed the previous board, which he was part of, and led by Phillip Chiyangwa.

Kamambo has taken to a new level the same filthiness that he accused his predecessors of. This administration has disappointed from day one.

Even before this newly-elected board had fully settled, the squabbling had already set in. Board member Chamu Chiwanza, who was held with suspicion because of his business links with the outgoing president, was hounded out before he could execute his duties.

The same happened with vice-president Gift Banda, who was suspended barely a month after assuming office in January 2019. This was strong evidence the vindictiveness and the politics of ostracism, which were first practiced in Ancient Greece, had not gone away.

Apparently, Kamambo had sold the nation a dummy in his election manifesto. Apart from his pre-election 10-point plan which he used to campaign for office, Kamambo cited his personal values as accountability, credibility, integrity, professionalism, honesty and transparency.

Surprisingly, he seems to have been going against each and every one of these noble tenets. It is a fact that our football has suffered under the watch of several successive leaderships at ZIFA, but the current executive should surely rank as the worst ever.

Maladministration is the reason why the board was suspended by the Sports and Recreation Commission last November.

The suspended board members are facing several allegations bordering on mismanagement, lack of accountability in the use of public funds, the glaring absence of clear football development strategies and the alleged sexual harassment of female referees by key technical staff within ZIFA.

What kind of a leadership connives to sweep under the carpet serious allegations of such criminal nature as the alleged sexual harassment of its employees?

The Sports Commission should be applauded in taking the bold step to call out these charlatans. Some neutrals had thought these people were being victimized after they ran to FIFA fabricating statements to smear the Sports Commission interventions. But truth always has a way of coming out.

It did not take long before disgruntled members of the ZIFA Assembly signed a petition calling for an extraordinary general meeting to show the displeasure that has been bottling up in their constituencies over the years.

The noise has been heard even in the FIFA corridors and right now the Kamambo-led board is facing a possible recall at the proposed EGM.

In fact, this board has since ceased to exist. Only three members — Kamambo, Phillemon Machana and Bryton Malandule — have been acting in defiance of the authorities from the eight that are recognized by their own statutes.

Sugar Chagonda, Farai Jere and Barbra Chikosi have decided to take the back seat following the suspension by the Sports Commission.

Banda and Chiwanza have since been kicked out of office in the boardroom fights. So, this means Kamambo, Machana and Malandule have illegally been sitting and making decisions on behalf of the board since the ZIFA constitution requires over 50 percent representation to form a quorum.

The Kamambo administration has disappointed from Day One. Our football is in a worse state than when they came in.

It is unfortunate that the ZIFA councillors always keep voting the wrong people into these key offices. With all the potential and the talent that is abound in Zimbabwe, the game deserves better.

Kamambo, Machana and Malandule should stop abusing the FIFA covering and free our game. They should not behave as if ZIFA is their personal property.

Our football need people who put national interests first, not these charlatans that pursue personal gains.