adminEllina Mhlanga, Takudzwa Chitsiga and Shingi Mugabe
SEVENTEEN aspiring ZIFA candidates will today go through the verification process to be done by the Electoral Committee at Cresta Oasis in Harare with businessman Philip Chiyangwa saying he is confident of a clean sweep of the votes.
Chiyangwa is likely to battle, subject to confirmation of the candidates, former ZIFA boss Trevor Carelse-Juul, who is based in South Africa, former Premier Soccer League and Dynamos secretary-general Leslie Gwindi and former Zimbabwe national team star James Takavada.
Candidates have to satisfy clauses inserted on the ZIFA nomination form and Carelse-Juul, who bravely fought to finish second in the last elections last March, could be found wanting after changes were effected to the Association’s constitution.
According to the nomination form, candidates have to satisfy the Electoral Committee that they have been “ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe for a period of not less than five years during the period of twenty years immediately preceding the donate of the nomination.”
Carelse-Juul has been resident in South Africa since the turn of the millennium.
The candidates also have to advise the Electoral College whether they have “been suspended before (and) if yes, give a brief description on the nature of the offence, attach a signed copy of the Disciplinary Committee judgment and clearance letter from the Association.”
Yesterday, Chiyangwa was given the support of the representatives of the National Association of Primary Heads, National Association of Secondary Heads, Tertiary, Five-Aside Soccer League who now join the 10 provincial leaders, the regions who nominated him, beach and women football representatives.
“I have done my ground work and I expect a clean sweep. I would like to transform Zimbabwe soccer and all the sporting disciplines will have the same visibility,” said Chiyangwa.
“We will have an opportunity to promote all sectors like Five-Aside and Beach soccer.”
Former ZIFA vice-president, Omega Sibanda, is Chiyangwa’s running mate and they met in Harare yesterday.
Sibanda will battle former Dynamos chairman Lincoln Mutasa and Elkhana Dube, the man he beat for the same post last March.
Former Warriors star, Edzai Kasinauyo, Women’s football club owner, Philemon Machana, who owns Conduit, are also running for the ZIFA Board membership.
The ZIFA Electoral Committee will verify their credentials today and the final list will be published on November 15.
In between from November 9 to 12, if there are any disqualifications, those that would have been disqualified will have the opportunity to appeal.
Mashingaidze yesterday said today’s meeting to be held at Cresta Oasis in Harare has been moved to 15:00hrs.
This is the second time the meeting has been moved and the ZIFA chief executive said the adjustment is meant to allow the movement of people since some will be attending the burial of the late former national team player and Footballers’ Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Paul Gundani.
Mashingaidze said there has been a lot of interest in the forthcoming elections compared to last year.
“This year we have more numbers than what we had in 2014. Remember the vice president had two candidates and this time we have three that filed their forms and for the executive committee we have 10, last year we had five. But for the position of president we have four, same as last year.
“This is to do with the anxiety around the elections, expectations obviously to do with the local game per ser.
“There has been a lot of reportage of who should be in the national executive and naturally there is a lot of interest. We have former referees coming in, former players and business people and it shows the kind of interest for these elections,” said Mashingaidze.
Online Reporter