adminmeeting in the capital on Wednesday, Zifa resolved to institute a full-scale probe into the scandal that has sucked in Zifa technical director Nelson Matongorere.
Matongorere is alleged to have cast a vote on the Fifa ballot for the World Footballer of the Year, in the place of Warriors skipper Tapuwa Kapini, or one of his deputies Tinashe Nengomasha or Esrom Nyandoro.
The players pointed out that they did not vote.
However, Matongorere has denied taking part in the voting process while former Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo has also denied casting his vote.
Gumbo said he was surprised to find out that his name appeared on the list of people who voted when he was not involved.
Only football journalist Charles Mabika confirmed voting in the selection of the world’s best player, won a record fourth time by Argentine Lionel Messi.
Spain’s Vicente del Bosque was named World Coach of the Year.
Yesterday, Jonathan Mashingaidze revealed that a four-member committee has started the initial probe into the Ballon d’Or.
“The names of the people will be publicised next week but as I am speaking right now the committee has begun work.
“We are not revealing their identity at the moment because that might scupper the investigations,” said Mashingaidze.
According to his brief statement, the committee is expected to submit a report on their findings by the end of this month.
“The full scale investigations into the Fifa player/coach of the year vote by Zimbabwe (should) be instituted with effect from January 17 and that a report be produced by the end of January 2013,” said Mashingaidze.
Although the probe is yet to gather momentum, it is likely that an official at Zifa could have clandestinely voted on behalf of the Warriors’ coach and captain.
Fifa send to each country three ballot papers for the national team coach, captain and a media representative. The coach and captain’s forms come through the national association while the one for the media practitioner goes directly to the individual.
According to the official Fifa list of the voting panel, Gumbo voted for Andres Iniesta for the top prize and Lionel Messi and Manchester United’s Robin van Persie as the runners-up.
For the Coach of the Year, Gumbo had Spain’s Vicente del Bosque as his first choice, former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola as the first runner-up and Borussia Dortmund’s Jürgen Norbert Klopp was his third choice.
The fake Warriors’ captain, listed on the Fifa website as Matongorere, voted for Cristiano Ronaldo, Gerard Pique and Messi while for the Coach of the Year he selected Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson.
The Fifa Ballon d’Or was won by Argentina and Barcelona star player Messi with Portugal and Real Madrid forward Ronaldo and Messi’s teammate Iniesta coming second and third.
At the same board meeting on Wednesday, Zifa also undertook to unveil their ambitious project of the Zimbabwe Football Trust, modelled on almost similar lines to the now defunct Warriors Trust.
“(The Zifa board resolved) That the Zimbabwe Football Trust be commissioned before the end of January to enable the Trust to get down to business,” said Mashingaidze.
The main thrust of the Trust would be mobilise resources from all the national teams from the juniors right up to the flagship Warriors.
Zifa have been perennially moving around with a begging bowl with reports indicating that the association is already US$4 million in the red.
Last month, Fifa representative Ashford Mamelodi and financial expert Fidelis Banda were in Zimbabwe as they tried to find ways of helping Zifa from their liquidity crisis.
Zifa are also hoping to table their final draft budget for ratification by the Zifa Assembly on January 26.
This will be the first Zifa council meeting for the year where the stakeholders will chart the course for the year.
Online Reporter