Fifa assess Zifa’s financial status

injection of funds.
Zifa have been operating in the red with their finances in shambles for a long time and their operations have only been sustained by cash handouts from their president, Cuthbert Dube.
The Harare business executive has since dolled out loans, largely generated from his private business ventures at Buymore Investments, worth more than US$600 000.
Dube is also helping in footing the salaries of the entire Zifa staff.
The Zifa president has argued that this is not sustainable and has led the move to try and get Fifa to bail out the association. Now, it appears, light is emerging at the end of the tunnel for Zifa. Fifa will be sending a team of financial experts to assess the financial situation at 53 Livingstone Avenue.
Zifa board member (finance), Elliot Kasu, revealed that they met Fifa president Sepp Blatter, and secretary-general Jerome Valcke in Gabon during the recent Nations Cup finals and took the opportunity to present their financial plight.
During his tour of Zimbabwe in July, Blatter said Fifa were willing to assist Zifa and speculation has been rife that the association could get as much as US$2 million in a financial package to lift them from the quagmire.
“The Zifa president, chief executive and myself met with the Fifa president, Fifa secretary and the Fifa person responsible for African affairs and they said they are in full support of what we have been doing,” said Kasu.
“And they will be sending a team of financial experts on 4 March. We are going to work with them in full throttle looking at our creditors. We have started to reconcile and this is in a bid to try and sort our financial mess.”
Blatter, during his tour of Zimbabwe last July, pledged to give a little more to Zifa than what Fifa normally gives to associations
“To recapitalise Zifa, we should have a specific report on what type of problems they are facing, but we are working on their request to recapitalise,” said Blatter. “Perhaps we can give a little more here than we normally give. When the initiatives are there something can be done. I believe in God and in my religion God created the world in seven days but we are not God so we can create better football for Zimbabwe in seven months.
“We can give you coaches, referees and money if it can help the game.”
Since Blatter’s historic visit, Zifa have been enjoying goodwill from the world body with Fifa experts coming here for various projects and programes.