adminRay Bande in Mutare
ZIFA Eastern Region Division One has been thrown into disarray as clubs are threatening to boycott the remaining league matches over what they termed as ‘preferential treatment’ that Yadah Stars are getting from the regional football administration body following incessant biased match officiating reports .
There are also allegations that dubious boardroom decisions are being made to benefit the club which is bankrolled by the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries.
Two rounds of league matches are remaining before the curtain comes down on the 2016 Eastern Region Division One league.
However, the ZIFA Eastern Region is yet to announce their decision on the fate of the aborted match pitting Yadah Stars FC and Prime Rangers almost two weeks ago after the encounter was abandoned with four minutes of play remaining.
Prime Rangers were leading 1-0 when the match was called off.
This comes barely a month after Yadah Stars became beneficiaries of a boardroom decision to award them maximum points after their match against Surrey Abattoirs was abandoned when allegations of biased match officiating resulted into a premature end to the encounter.
Zifa Eastern Region chairman Davison Muchena, who initially pledged to make public their decision by Sunday, is not coming out clean on their move.
“I don’t think I am in a position to announce the decision now. We have made a decision after consulting widely but we have forwarded it to our lawyers at national level because we believe there are some legal implications to it. They will then look at it and then give us back to announce it by the end of day today,” said the Chiredzi based Muchena.
As if that was enough, the Eastern Region administration have come down hard on in-form Mutoko Pirates on the issue of league affiliation fees, barring them from playing their matches just a week before Mutoko face Yadah in one of the remaining two rounds of matches.
Mutoko Pirates’ Chido Mudzinganyama complained bitterly about the way
issues involving Yadah Stars have been handled in the league.
“We all know that Yadah Stars are a ZIFA child. We are contemplating quitting the league and maybe start afresh next season. ZIFA told us not to play against Gutu FC last weekend because of affiliation but how many clubs in this league have not paid their affiliations fees?
Online Reporter