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THE domestic football family will be following with keen interest to hear the outcome of the long-awaited ZIFA Extraordinary General Meeting slated for Harare this afternoon.
This gathering of the football lawmakers has been convened by the majority of the ZIFA councillors, who make up the Congress, which is the association’s supreme decision-making body.
According to organisers of the indaba, the meeting is in line with provisions of ZIFA Statutes as provided under Article 28 (2), which reads: “The Executive Committee shall convene an Extraordinary Congress if one-third of the members of ZIFA make such a request in writing. The request shall specify the items for the agenda.
“An Extraordinary Congress shall be held within three months of receipt of the request. If an Extraordinary Congress is not convened, the members who requested it may convene the Congress themselves. As a last resort, the members may request assistance from CAF or FIFA.”
The meeting was called after 27 disgruntled members, who are more than the required one third of the members of the Congress, had appended their signatures to a petition calling for this special gathering.
The councillors are not happy with a number of things.
They are not happy with the strained relations between the football leadership and the Sports and Recreation Commission, the suspension of ZIFA membership from FIFA, the failure by the Felton Kamambo leadership to organise the Annual General Meeting and the failure to deal with allegations of sexual harassment against female referees.
There are so many things that the councillors could talk of, according to their correspondence, which was sent to both CAF and FIFA back in January when giving an update on the state of football in the country.
The councillors had initially wanted to hold the EGM in January, but they were forced to shelve their plans after FIFA cautioned that there was need to follow the constitution and give the due 90-day-notice.
The notice was given, but the ZIFA executive could not convene the meeting because they were incapacitated by the suspension imposed by the Sports and Recreation Commission in November last year.
The ZIFA board, led by Kamambo, was suspended by the Sports Commission over a litany of allegations that included mismanagement of public funds, corruption and the failure to deal with allegations of sexual harassment of female referees.
FIFA had counselled that “the ZIFA executive committee must be given time foreseen in the ZIFA statutes to convene the requested Extraordinary Congress”.
After extensive consultations with their members, they were in full agreement that the ZIFA constitution is subordinate to FIFA’s constitution, and proceeded as recommended.
The suspended ZIFA executive committee has no capacity to call for the requested Extraordinary Congress because they are suspended by SRC.
The suspended ZIFA executive committee has no capacity to call for the requested Extraordinary Congress because they are suspended by SRC.
After the prescribed 90-day period lapsed on April 3, a notice was given in terms of article 28(2) for the meeting to be held today.
The councillors are resolute to pursue their agenda and the charges preferred against the executive committee.
The ZIFA councillors have vowed to congregate in Harare today to chart the way forward in the long-running crisis in Zimbabwe’s football administration.
FIFA have since acknowledged the meeting but the councillors would need to be clear that the resolutions will get the approval from the world football governing body.
The catch is the meeting was approved when ZIFA were still to be suspended from the international football family. They will need to convince FIFA that the process was handled properly.
The good thing is that Kamambo and members of his suspended board have been cleared by the authorities to attend the crucial indaba, where they have to defend themselves against the several charges brought against them.
Whether Kamambo and his members of the suspended board attend or not, the meeting can still go ahead, in terms of the statutes governing the local game.
But what is of utmost importance during the deliberations is to put national interests ahead of personal vendettas. At the end of the day. football must be the winner.
Online Reporter