Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
FIFA has formally appended its signature on the forthcoming Zifa executive committee elections that will be held in Harare on December 16.
The world football governing body also poured cold water on unfounded claims by social media hawks and other mainstream media reports that a normalisation committee to take charge of Zimbabwean football was being set up.
The elections will see 60 delegates electing the Zifa president, deputy and four members of the executive committee.
In an emailed response to Chronicle Sports inquiries, the Fifa media department said it will send a delegation to observe the December 16 elections.
“Fifa is monitoring the situation in relation to the Zifa elections and will deploy a delegation to observe the elective congress on 16 December 2018,” read the Fifa email.
“Please note that we have no further comment on this matter,” said the spokesperson in relation to the normalisation committee issue.
A normalisation committee is set up in an attempt to stop the “wrangling” of the stakeholders when they are unable to agree on basic issues around electoral processes and stakeholder representation.
The normalisation committee is charged with running the daily affairs of the football association, drafting new statutes that fulfil the requirements of Fifa statutes as well as the national law, review the statutes of regional federations and the domestic league competition to ensure their alignment, identifying the representative bodies to form the congress, as well as in regional federations, and conducting elections to form a new board.
Fifa’s confirmation that it will be s ending a delegation to observe the polls serves as satisfaction with the Zifa electoral processes.
Incumbent Zifa president, Phillip Chiyangwa, will square off against former executive committee member, Felton Kamambo, while his deputy Omega Sibanda faces the challenge by Gift Banda.
Bryton Malandule, Chamu Chiwanza, Stanley Chapeta, Sugar Chagonda and incumbent Phillimon Machana will be vying for the four executive committee posts.
derick.khumalo