dyton mupawaenda
Veronica Gwaze-Sports Reporter
THE expulsion of Young Warriors duo Elton Chikona and Leon Daka appears to have stirred the hornet’s nest as questions are being asked as to the real reasons behind their dismissal from camp ahead of the team’s departure to Malawi.
Zimbabwe will play Kenya and Malawi in what had initially been a four-team tournament before Zambia’s late withdrawal from the juniors’ event.
Dynamos striker Chikona together with Herentals star Daka were dropped from the squad under unclear circumstances.
In a brief statement on Monday, Zifa cited indiscipline as the reason for the axing without giving further details.
“Elton Chikona (Dynamos F.C) and Leon Daka (Herentals F.C) have been released from the U-20 men’s national team training camp and were unable to accompany the team to Malawi due to breaches in team protocols.
“While this situation is regrettable, ZIFA considers it a vital disciplinary measure in their effort to instil a new culture characterised by respect for coaches, teammates, and a strong commitment to discipline,” read the statement. Further inquiries had not been responded to late yesterday.
However, Herentals and Dynamos are still waiting for official communication from ZIFA as to why their youngsters were booted out of the Young Warriors camp.
Dynamos revealed that they were taken aback when the news broke through the grapevine.
“The space is infested with all sorts of conspiracy theories and a lot of reasons why Chikona was expelled are being peddled around the social media space.
‘However, no one is stepping forward to us with the truth as to why he was dropped from the national team,” said Dynamos chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze.
“As a member of ZIFA, Dynamos Football Club awaits a courteous engagement by the football governing body on the allegations against Chikona, who since breaking into the club’s senior team, has never been found on the wrong side of the club’s code of conduct.”
Herentals are also waiting for official communication from the governing body.
Club secretary general Fainos Madhumbu said they are unhappy with how ZIFA handled the matter.
“We are still waiting for the official communication from ZIFA, they are still mum. They did not notify us of our player’s release or the circumstances behind all this,” said Madhumbu.
“We are just reading different stories from social media which is not what we want, they are the ones who should communicate to us, the same way they did when they took our players.”
However, although Chikona and Daka were purportedly dropped on disciplinary grounds, it has since emerged that the issue anchors on age manipulation allegations.
And when the pair were interrogated over the matter, they “crudely” challenged the authorities to prove their allegations.
Yet the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, under whom all the elite league players are registered has also not received any official communication from either ZIFA or the clubs on the issue.
“We have not gotten official communication from any office or individual regarding the matter, we are only hearing about it on social media,” said PSL communications and liaison officer, Kudzai Bare.
Ordinarily, when PSL receives official communication, it is their responsibility to investigate and pass appropriate judgment on such matters.
In 2016, Bulawayo City was handed a $2,500 fine by PSL for supplying wrong information on athletes’ ages after which the concerned players Dean Sibanda, Lewis Ncube, and Bothwell Nyathi were suspended for 12 months.
City were charged for contravening Order 31 of the PSL Rules and Regulations which makes it an act of misconduct on the part of a Club where according to 31.1.11 it knowingly furnishes incorrect information of whatsoever nature to the League.
The club was found guilty of registering the trio using falsified documents with the PSL Disciplinary Committee stating that clubs must be at the forefront of confronting and eliminating cheating.
Chikona’s mother, Veronica Nyamoto said she was not happy with the manner Zifa handled the matter and she is currently having to grapple with the claims circulating on social media.
“I am not happy with the issues being circulated. The age manipulation issues are false unless his crime is to be part of the team that was caught up in age cheating scandals at the Marvelous Nakamba tournament,” she said.
“As for indiscipline, we need to know what exactly happened not to speculate. Up until now, I have never had to deal with an issue concerning Elton and indiscipline so this would be the first time and hence the need for clarity.
“My son is still a minor, I expected the authorities to communicate with either the club or us as parents about the allegations and release of our children but nothing came.”
The Footballers’ Union of Zimbabwe said if the players feel short-changed by ZIFA they should lodge in their complaints through the union.
“We are committed to assisting them. But we can only do so when they bring official complaints, basically, we are saying we have to hear the side of the players and then act.”
Online Reporter