Relief package for PSL clubs

ZIFA have set June 20 as the date they would have come up with some relief package for distressed Premiership clubs and women’s football.

The move is designed to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the domestic game.

ZIFA is under intense pressure from the local football fraternity for their indifference to the plight of affiliate leagues, whose clubs are in dire straits due to the postponement of the 2020 season, which was due to start in March.

Most top-flight clubs, including giants CAPS United and Highlanders, rely on gate takings for survival.

They are now reeling after the withdrawal of their traditional sponsor, NetOne.

Individually owned clubs like Herentals have also not been spared by the coronavirus-induced financial crisis.

And ZIFA — who are sitting on US$700 000 from FIFA and are expecting another US$200 000 from CAF — yesterday announced that they will arrange a relief package for the Premier Soccer League and Women’s Soccer League by June 20.

This came out of a rare full board meeting in the capital yesterday.

The local football mother body also ratified the newly-installed nine-member ZIFA constitutional review committee.

ZIFA president Felton Kamambo, who boasted that “life was good” at the association, also spoke about a possible return of the ZIFA Cup.

“The PSL said they are facing challenges insofar as the running of the clubs is concerned and the board provisionally said ZIFA is going to assist the PSL.

“The ZIFA secretariat will come up with a paper on how we are going to assist them. We will come back to them (PSL) on the 20th (of June),” said Kamambo.

“The PSL chairman (Farai Jere) gave a detailed account of how our clubs are struggling and we are going to assist.

“In short, life has never been this good at ZIFA. We are enjoying our life and football will do the talking. We want to change the image of ZIFA so that everyone wants to be associated with ZIFA.

“The ZIFA Cup is still in the pipeline. We have a model which we wanted to follow; our hope was that we could introduce it this year with the PSL, but with the current situation, we might then use the money to assist the PSL.”

Jere acknowledged the pressure that was coming from his constituency.

“We raised an issue on how the clubs are suffering and I am happy that I was given the 20th (June) to make a follow-up. I am happy I will be telling the PSL something will come from ZIFA,” said Jere.

ZIFA are expecting the US$200 000 bailout from CAF this week and will also use part of that money to provide succour to the PSL and women’s football.

A number of associations across the continent have already taken the initiative to roll out rescue packages for their domestic leagues.

The Botswana FA revealed in May that the country’s elite league players would be paid US$123 per month from April to June.

There have also been rescue packages for clubs and leagues in Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Tunisia and other African associations. It, however, remains unclear when football will resume in Zimbabwe, with September now the most likely month given that ZIFA also want to hold their annual meeting during that month.

The Assembly will ratify all the decisions taken on the way forward at the AGM.

ZIFA and the PSL have already begun working on the modalities for a possible return of the much-awaited action.

The new ZIFA constitutional review committee was also officially introduced yesterday.

Harare lawyer Kelvin Musimwa leads the committee that includes Stanley Chapeta (vice chairperson), Martin Kweza, Kenneth Mhlope, Simon Simango, Beaulla Musara, Simba Wisdom, Gilbert Saika and Mehluli Thebe.

“As we speak, they are able to start their work. We have given them up to end of August to come up with a draft constitution so that when we have our AGM in September, the draft will be discussed by the Assembly.

“They are supposed to match our constitution with the FIFA one and they will have to take some recommendations from the Assembly and our affiliates, then go on an outreach programme to meet affiliates,” added Kamambo.

Embattled vice president Gift Banda was conspicuous by his absence despite a recent ruling in his favour by both the ZIFA Disciplinary Committee and the ZIFA Appeals Committee.

ZIFA’s appeal against a disciplinary committee judgment to exonerate Banda of all the charges levelled against him — principally of

unilaterally changing the Warriors technical team — was thrown out on a technicality last week.

Apparently, ZIFA failed to attach proof that they had paid the appeal fees.

ZIFA lawyer Chenaimoyo Gumiro yesterday said Banda remained suspended as his matter was still under the football courts.

“The current status is that it is a matter that is still pending before the ZIFA Appeals Committee. The Appeals Committee met on Tuesday and it held the appeal that had been filed to be defective on the basis that there was no proof that the appeals fees were paid.

“At that particular date we could not locate the receipt that the payment had been made, but subsequent to that we have since located the proof of payment and we have made an application for the condonation for the failure to attach the proof of payment and the application is now before the Appeals Committee.

“As such, the matter has to be determined as to enable the Appeals Committee to delve into the merits of the matter . . . on Tuesday the appeals did not delve on the merits of the matter.

“He (Banda) remains suspended. We have now made an application to regularise that anomaly.

“The receipt has been availed to Appeals Committee, but it has to be done via an application . . . whilst that is done, he remains suspended,” said Gumiro.