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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
WORLD football governing body Fifa have denied reports that they are working with the government to set up a football normalisation committee to run the affairs of Zifa until the March 2016 Zifa annual general meeting. There had been reports that the government, through the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) had recommended to Fifa that a normalisation committee be set up due to the dysfunctional structures of the Zifa board led by Cuthbert Dube.
A normalisation committee is set up in terms of Article 7, paragraph 2 of the Fifa Statutes. Fifa’s Article 7, paragraph 2 reads: “Executive bodies of Member Associations may under exceptional circumstances be removed from office by the executive committee in consultation with the relevant confederation and replaced by a normalisation committee for a specific period of time.”
African powerhouse Cameroon’s football has been run by a normalisation committee since 2013 after the country’s Football Association president was jailed for fraud. “The committee’s mandate will be to revise the Zifa statutes and to organise elections for new office bearers, at the same time manage the daily business.
“It will act as an electoral body, whose decisions will be final and binding. Its members will not be eligible for any of the open positions,” said a source close to the matter.
Retired referee and respected captain of industry Anthony Mandiwanza had been touted as a possible leader of that committee with educationist and Highlanders’ board member Elkannah Dube deputising him.
“Consultations are still ongoing for the other members of the committee but Mandiwanza and Dube’s names have already been put forward,” the source said. However, Fifa development officer for Central and Southern Africa Arshford Mamelodi yesterday refuted the reports saying they were only preparing for the Zifa October 3 meeting.
“I’m not aware of such a plan. All I know is that we are still on course for next month’s meeting, unless Zifa has changed that,” said the Botswana national. The Zifa assembly will meet on October 3 when the Dube-led board’s fate is likely to be decided. Should Dube’s board be recalled, an interim committee would be set up to run Zifa’s affairs until the annual general meeting next year.
The October 3 meeting will also deliberate on the suspensions of Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda and his fellow board members Ben Gwarada and women’s football boss Miriam Sibanda.
Online Reporter