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Robson Sharuko Harare Bureau
A DAMNING report, which fingers Zifa president Cuthbert Dube and his chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze as key players in a crippling leadership crisis it blames for the chronic challenges destroying Zimbabwe’s football, has thrown the future of the duo at the Association into doubt.
The report was compiled by a Commission of Inquiry, set up by the Sport and Recreation Commission, to look into the state and administration of football in this country, and their preliminary findings says the two principal figures in the Association lack transparency.
The Committee paints a graphic picture of a game that has been pushed onto its deathbed by a dysfunctional leadership, where the president and secretary general had not only lost their credibility but had become a cancer that was devouring the game, and ancient systems that barely work.
It says that Article 34 gives the president and the chief executive “unfettered power instead of the whole Board,” and “according to this Article, the appointment or dismissal of the General Secretal is not a collective responsibility of the Board but the president alone.”
The Committee noted that that the Zifa Board was dysfunctional and the game was being devoured by internal conflicts, disputes and a credible dispute resolution mechanism and that the Board was usurping the powers of the Assembly on issues related to suspensions and expulsions which has left a number of cases unresolved.
They also noted that all the programmes related to women’s football were in a shambles due to lack of prioritisation by the Zifa Board which continued to interfere in the affairs of women’s football to the extent of orchestrating “unwarranted, unsubstantiated, unnecessary and targeted suspension of the leadership to try and weaken the system of management.”
Football, in the key grassroots level, had been left to die, the Committee noted, and there was no evidence of junior programmes that were underway in Zimbabwe and the game in those structures had virtually been destroyed.
The findings were based on public hearings, closed meetings, written submissions and previous reports obtained from the country’s football family, established that Zifa was an organisation dominated by frosty and soiled relations, in-fighting, backbiting and suspensions which has left the Association with a battered image and without any credibility at all.
“It was the Committee’s findings (that) relations in the Board, management and affiliates are frosty and soiled as attested by stakeholders,” the preliminary report, a copy of which has been obtained by our Harare Bureau, reads.
“Currently, Zifa’s organisational culture is characterised by fighting, back-biting and suspensions. This has resulted in a battered/tarnished image of the association and no credibility at all.
“The Committee gathered that chief, among the proponents of problems at Zifa, is the president and general gecretary whose leadership lacks transparency.
“The Zifa Assembly could not establish, in specific terms, the current state and administration of Zifa (Pvt) Ltd Company. The Zifa (Pvt) Ltd Company directorship is depleted, not operational and some of which were reported to be outside the country, retired from public work and have no intention of coming back to Zimbabwe.
“In all its operations, Zifa has not taken cognisant of the people or organisations who may be affected by the decisions it makes or those that can influence or oppose the implementation of its decisions.
“The absence of transparency in the operations of the Association has resulted in the public’s loss of trust and respect for Zifa — there is a general perception that self-interests drive the activities of the Association.
“Zifa has failed to timeously submit the following in line with the requirements of the SRC Act: (i) Audited Financial Statements for both its main and Fifa-funded projects; (ii) Annual budgets; (iii) Annual Reports; (iv) Payment of Levies; (v) Registration of amended rules and regulations.
“The Committee further noted the Association’s failure to comply with its own constitution in respect of conduct of its Ordinary and Extraordinary Congresses, Board Meetings and suspension of its Association members.
“The Committee noted that the current Zifa Constitution was registered by the SRC on November18, 2013. However, there is no record to show that Zifa’s Rules and Regulations currently in use have been registered by the SRC.”
Standing committees, which should be made up of specialist personnel, were filled with characters which the Committee deemed to be dubious who were only there to help in furthering the selfish personal interests of those in charge of the game.
“Under normal circumstances, committees are established with members coming from the councillors but in this case outsiders with questionable and dubious skills are invited to man these technical committees,” the report said.
“It was the Committee’s findings that such arrangements were done to surround the Board with a chosen few friends to support individual and personal objectives.
“When national team matches are organised, management is the sole structure doing everything from manning of gates, purchasing of tickets, appointment of cashiers, reconciliations, auditing, banking and payments. It was pointed out that such a situation is unacceptable as tenets of financial control were compromised.
“Zifa’s accounting staff lacks transparency. The Board Member (Finance) who is tasked with overseeing the financial system of the Association had no full control of Zifa’s finances up to the times he was suspended.
“From the time of the appointment of the Finance Committee, the Committee was never given space to function in line with the Zifa statutes. Other members of the Finance Committee resigned citing frustration which then resulted in an improperly constituted Committee.
“All Zifa Audited Accounts for 2010, 2011 and 2012 were qualified. Technically, Zifa is insolvent with debts amounting to almost $6 million. Zifa’s creditors’ list has ballooned from $600,000 in 2010 to $6 million in 2015 with no clear explanations. The Association’s expenditure had taken a ‘run away’ mode.
“Zifa’s audited accounts by Baker, Tilly and Gwatidzo of 2013 revealed that $700,000 could not be accounted for and to date the Zifa CEO has failed to provide supporting documents.
“Zifa management did not avail records that were requested by the Committee, particularly minutes of the Executive, despite several requests in writing and verbal reminders to the General Secretary. There is no separation of duties. The Zifa Secretariat organise the printing of match tickets and controls cash at the stadia. At the end of the match, they reconcile all the returns and take custody of that cash and do direct payments.
“There is no paper trail of the money allegedly owed to the Zifa president and there are no Board minutes to show the approval of the approval of the transaction by the Zifa Board.
“The Zifa Assembly confirmed that they were never consulted each time the President uses his own resources on Zifa business. According to the Zifa Assembly, there is no record to show those transactions and commitment on what the president is owed by Zifa.”
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter