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Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
PARTIES to the ZIFA Eastern Region Division One League title conflict are expected to submit their heads of arguments today (Friday) to pave way for a full-scale hearing on a matter whose outcome will determine which club gets the nod to be part of the country’s top-flight league.
ZIFA Eastern Region Soccer League administration and Bikita Minerals are expected to have their sides of the story presented to the ZIFA Appeals Committee.
Reliable sources close to the goings-on confided in Post Sport that the hearing was postponed to Friday (today) because ZIFA Appeals Committee felt the need for all parties involved to be conversant with Tenax FC’s heads of arguments, and also respond in writing before a proper hearing can be conducted.
A three-member tribunal — with Vote Muza as chairman — sitting in the name of ZIFA Appeals Committee, invited Tenax FC, Bikita Minerals and the Eastern Region Soccer League administration for a hearing a fortnight ago.
The inconsistent Normalisation Committee backtracked on its earlier decision to unilaterally endorse Eastern Region board’s decision to promote Bikita Minerals.
In an earlier interview with Post Sport, Normalisation Committee member, Sikhumbuzo Ndebele confirmed Bikita Minerals as the Eastern Region champions.
Then, a fortnight ago, the nation woke up to news that Bikita Minerals will have to wait a little bit longer to confirm their Premier Soccer League status after ZIFA Normalisation Committee referred the dispute surrounding their promotion to the top-flight to its Appeals Committee.
To that end, the Normalisation Committee put on hold the decision to confirm Bikita Minerals as the 2023 Eastern Region Soccer League (ERSL) Division One champions.
The ERSL, acting on their own understanding of their rules and regulations, had concluded that Bikita had won the championship race after the club won its appeal over their final league match against Grayham, from which they were awarded three points.
Those points enabled Bikita to pip Tenax for the pole position.
However, Tenax lodged a late appeal via ZIFA, which, through its chief executive officer, Yvonne Manwa, wrote to ERSL to attend the Appeals Committee hearing this week.
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