Ashly Dhani
Langton Nyakwenda
ALL is now set for Saturday’s watershed meeting between the football mother body, Zifa, and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs, with the latter pushing for the Fifa/Caf Covid-19 relief funds to be paid in foreign currency.
The indaba, set for the capital, will also touch on a number of issues affecting the PSL sides during the current coronavirus-induced lockdown, which has stalled the 2020 PSL season.
Zifa, who received US$1,8 million from both Fifa and Caf, last week announced a raft of measures to bail out domestic clubs, which are grappling with financial dire straits wrought by the coronavirus.
Zifa president, Felton Kamambo, announced that his executive resolved to allocate $111 million to all the 18 teams as a Covid-19 relief package for the resumption of the league, but the PSL clubs are pushing for the disbursement to be done in forex.
The allocation translates to about US$5 500 per club.
A number of club representatives are questioning the wisdom of Zifa’s decision to pay in local currency, and will use Saturday’s meeting to push their agenda.
They are also not happy with the US$5 500 that each club will get from the allocation.
Zifa spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela, confirmed the meeting was still on.
“Yes, the meeting is still on,” Gwesela told The Sunday Mail Online Friday afternoon.
Fireworks are expected at the meeting as clubs are not willing to compromise.
“What they are offering us is not even enough to run a club for one week,” said a disgruntled club representative.
Saturday’s meeting will be the first time that Zifa and the 18 PSL clubs are meeting outside Congress.
The meeting will also explore modalities on how the 2020 season should start.
Both Zifa and PSL are pushing for a September start, subject to Government and health experts’ approval.
The PSL Medical Committee, headed by Edward Chagonda, recently put forward recommendations on how the game could safely return.
The recommendations include regular testing of players for Covid-19, and Zifa have since agreed to take care of all the medically related expenses, including the payment of referees.
Online Reporter