CAF STICK WITH KAMAMBO

Sports Reporter

THE Confederation of African Football have said they are still bound by the FIFA Council decision to suspend Zimbabwe from international football until the reinstatement of Felton Kamambo and his board.

Kamambo had his mandate revoked by the ZIFA Councillors who went on to install Gift Banda as the interim president while also reinstated the trio of Farai Jere, Sugar Chagonda and Barbra Chikosi.

Banda and his team wrote to CAF whose secretary-general, Véron Mosengo-Omba, has since replied in a letter to Joseph Mamutse, who spurned an invitation to return to his post as ZIFA CEO.

Mosengo-Omba said the FIFA Council’s decision was clear in its demands that:

(i) The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) repeals the decision of 26 November 2020 suspending the ZIFA General Secretary

(ii) SRC repeals the SRC decision of 16 November 2021 suspending the ZIFA Board

(iii) SRC repeals the SRC decision of 17 December 2021 setting up the restructuring committee

(iv) FIFA receives confirmation from ZIFA and its management, led by president Felton

Kamambo and General Secretary Joseph Mamutse, that ZIFA and its premises are once more under their full and unconditional control; and

(v) SRC withdraws the court case against the ZIFA president, three other ZIFA Board members and the General Secretary for allegedly misusing ZIFA’s letterheads.”

Moengo-Omba said they have been drawn to a number of developments, which include that:

(i) An Extraordinary General Assembly meeting convened on 23 April 2022 during which a decision was apparently taken to revoke the mandate of three Executive Committee members including the president Mr. Kamambo and two others Mr. Malandule and Mr.

Machana.

(ii) A letter dated 24 May 2022 from the SRC to ZIFA lifting its suspension of ZIFA’s Secretary

General but subjecting the same to certain unspecified conditions.

(iii) A letter dated 8 June 2022 from SRC lifting the suspensions of three Executive Committee members, Mrs. Barbara Chikosi and Messrs. Farai Jere and Sugar Chagonda whilst confirming that BDO Chartered Accountants have commenced their forensic audit into the financial and operational affairs of ZIFA; and

(iv) That with the assistance of the SRC, a committee claiming to be the bona fide ZIFA

Executive Committee has made themselves signatories to ZIFA’s bank accounts and is subsequently transacting the proceeds deposited by CAF and FIFA.

We would like to inform you as follows:

1. The SRC’s letters dated 24 May and 8 June 2022 contravene Article 7 paragraph 1(a) and

(g) of the CAF Statutes which respectively states as follows:

2. None of the conditions stated in the FIFA Council decision dated 24 February 2022 asratified by the FIFA Congress on 31 March 2022 has been fully and unconditionally met.
3. Pursuant to Article 16 paragraph 3 of the FIFA Statutes, “A suspended member associationmay not exercise any of its membership rights,” such rights being defined in Article 13 ofthe FIFA Statutes.

“Consequently, CAF hereby directs ZIFA to immediately cease using and accessing any funds deposited by FIFA or CAF in the ZIFA accounts.

“Please note that a breach of this directive will be regarded as a violation of the FIFA Council decision dated 24 February 2022 as ratified by the FIFA Congress on 31 March 2022 and may subject ZIFA or the officials involved to disciplinary sanctions.

“CAF will continue to monitor the developments in Zimbabwean football.”