Zifa circus: Gijima Msindo speaks
THE first black businessman to own a football team in Zimbabwe, Lovemore Gijima Msindo has waded into the ongoing circus at ZIFA, saying lack of a sound constitution and adherence to it has always been the major problem in the governance of domestic football.
Suspended ZIFA president, Felton Kamambo and his sidekicks, Philimon Machana and Brighton Malandule this week announced the suspension of ZIFA Assembly members involved in the planning of a special extraordinary that intends to revoke their mandate.
The indaba was supposed to take place last weekend, but FIFA advised that it should be held in April and the Kamambo administration seized the opportunity to pounce on perceived adversaries by sending suspension letters to eight members of the ZIFA Assembly.
The 78-year-old passionate friend of the game of football, who is now concentrating on running his agribusiness at Gijima Farm about 20km outside Rusape, along the Mutare-Harare Highway, is of the opinion that the suspended ZIFA councillors must appeal against their suspension, and seek recourse to proceed with their extraordinary meeting.
“In any organisation, there is a set of rules and laws that govern operations and in most cases that come in the form of a constitution. This has been the major challenge at ZIFA. The production of a legally binding constitution and adherence to it has been lacking for a long time.
“I have been following this drama from the onset and I think Government, through the SRC, had no right to intervene in football administration from the beginning.
“They should have found a way to influence the ZIFA Assembly members to revoke the mandate of the board independently. It is the ZIFA Assembly members who have a right to kick the board out of office without Government interference.
“Therefore, these guys who are now said to have been suspended (ZIFA Assembly members) must appeal against their suspension and find a way to make their extraordinary meeting a success,” said Msindo, who is credited for initiating a paradigm shift in local football ownership in the 1990s when he became the first Zimbabwean black businessman to own a club in the Premiership — Fire Batteries FC.
The other crop of indigenous businessmen to be inspired by his initiative later included Delma Lupepe (Amazulu), Ronnie Chihota, the late Joel Salifu (Blackpool), Solomon Mugavazi (Monomotapa), the late Eric Rosen (Motor Action) and Methembe Ndlovu (Bantu Rovers), among others.
When asked whether it would not be ideal for the love of the game for Kamambo and his henchmen to step aside and let football be the winner, the former Fire Batteries owner, said: “He will be very stupid to do that. The same ZIFA Assembly members who now want him out are the same people who voted for him.
“They are now under pressure from different stakeholders and they cannot stand by the decision they made less than five years ago. After all, the term Kamambo was elected into office lasts for five years. Why not wait for his term to lapse and show him the exit door in a constitutional way?’
In his assessment of Kamambo’s performance at the helm of the domestic football administration body, Msindo said: “It is easy to condemn. What can you do if there is no money? Even if you give that ZIFA presidency to Peter Ndlovu or Benjani Mwaruwari, if there is no money there is really nothing they can do.
“I am one of those who were active in luring Leo Mugabe to football back then thinking that he would use his proximity to the corridors of power to bring money into the game of football.
“But when that did not materialise as we initially thought, we realised that Government should directly provide financial support to sport especially football. This is the only way out for our football to develop. Government must provide a grant meant for the development of the game and sponsors will chip in.”
The suspended officials include Highlanders chairman, Johnfat Sibanda and his Dynamos counterpart, Isaiah Mupfurutsa, Premier Soccer League chief executive officer, Kenny Ndebele, ZIFA competitions and communication manager, Xolisani Gwesela who was the acting head of secretariat, national teams general manager, Wellington Mpandare and ZIFA Northern Region secretary-general, Sweeny Mushonga among others.
In what is turning out to be a circus, suspended ZIFA chief executive officer, Joseph Mamutse dispatched letters of suspension to 27 councillors and other local football administrators including the chairmen of the two biggest football clubs in the country.
Mamutse was suspended by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) two years ago on allegations of sending the national team on foreign assignments without SRC’s approval.
The SRC went on further to suspend the board in November last year on several allegations before taking charge of the Warriors’ AFCON campaign with the assistance of the ZIFA secretariat.
However, in a new development, the suspended board which was supposed to be reinstated on January 3 on FIFA’s orders has gone on to suspend the councillors who were behind the Extra-Ordinary Congress which was blocked by the world football governing body. The officials who have now been suspended by the suspended board members are among other charges accused of allegedly holding one or several meetings with the country’s supreme sports body, the SRC.
Mpandare is accused of ‘taking unlawful instructions from third parties and causing divisions within the ZIFA executive committee.
Kenny Ndebele stands accused of plotting with PSL governors to ‘overthrow a constitutionally elected ZIFA executive committee’.
In total, 27 councillors have been ostensibly suspended, while the number of officials who have been served with suspension letters is still to be ascertained.