dyton mupawaenda
Petros Kausiyo-Sports Editor
JUST over three months after FIFA sealed his ZIFA fate by appointing a Normalisation Committee at the association, Felton Kamambo is back in the trenches and fighting and now wants the world soccer governing to rescind their decision to lift Zimbabwe’s suspension from international football.
Kamambo claims that the Sport and Recreation Commission have reneged on one of the conditions of the lifting of Zimbabwe’s suspension and now wants FIFA to intervene and help nullify his on-going case at the magistrate’s court.
He faces charges of criminal abuse of office emanating from his continued use of the ZIFA letterhead while on suspension by the SRC in 2022.
Kamambo’s bid to bounce back as ZIFA president was, however, effectively ended by FIFA on July 11 when the global football mother body tasked Lincoln Mutasa’s Normalisation Committee to take charge at the troubled association.
The ousted ZIFA president wants FIFA to force the Sport and Recreation Commission to implore the National Prosecuting Authority to stop his on-going case at the Harare magistrates’ court.
Kamambo is fronting his colleagues in the ousted board, who include Philemon Machana, Bryton Malandule, Stanley Chapeta and ex-chief executive Joseph Mamutse.
The quintet is challenging the continuation of the court case, which they believe should have been nullified, when FIFA reinstated Zimbabwe.
This is despite FIFA in their letter to ZIFA, which was also copied to the Sports Commission, stating that the appointment of the Normalisation Committee and the end of the Kamambo tenure had been done without prejudice to the matters that were before the courts and any other probe that might have been taking place against the ousted ZIFA executive.
In his letter to FIFA on October 22, Kamambo accused the SRC of allegedly reneging on a pledge to withdraw the court case.
Kamambo claimed that the SRC had deliberately misled FIFA on the court issue.
“This seeks to inform that the SRC, acting together with the National Prosecuting Authority have insisted that the criminal charges levelled against the then General Secretary (Mamutse) and four members of ZIFA will not be withdrawn.
“This is against an understanding between ourselves, FIFA and SRC that the SRC had withdrawn criminal charges against us,’’ wrote Kamambo.
“A letter purportedly withdrawing the case penned by SRC chairman Gerald Mlotshwa to the NPA copied to ourselves, however, was unclear on the real intentions of the SRC. “In our letter dated 8 July 2023 herewith attached also indicated that the SRC letter was not withdrawing the charges. Our lawyer’s opinion also herewith attached retaliated (sic) that the SRC was not withdrawing and went further to elaborate the process which is supposed to be followed in order to withdraw the case.
“As a result, we were formally advised in court by the NPA that the matter was not going to be withdrawn. For the avoidance of doubt, we remain accused in a live matter in instances where we had through our lawyers clearly advised in July 2023 that, no withdrawal had been effected and that the SRC letter relied upon as a withdrawal was just a trick to hoodwink FIFA.
“We are aware that the decision made by the Bureau of Council was arrived at on the basis of false information by the SRC as has now been confirmed in our last court appearance on the 3rd of October 2023.
“We are also aware that the decision by the Bureau Council will require ratification by the full FIFA Council scheduled for the 23rd October and later Congress for it to remain in force.
“We therefore formally advise FIFA Council that this condition for reinstatement remains unmet and that SRC deceived FIFA into this decision.
“Under the circumstances FIFA is forced to rescind its July decision until all the conditions have been met. You will note we had agreed with FIFA to step aside to allow our football a chance to come back in circumstances our term of office still had a year to running.
“We agreed to this decision and never challenged it for love of our game and to protect the negatively affected football economy. On hindsight and in light of the current developments of our continued persecution, we submit that this will need a relief by FIFA,’’ added Kamambo.
In her letter advising on the lifting Zimbabwe’s suspension, FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura in her letter noted that Kamambo and his board had also ceased to be in control of ZIFA, following the expiry of their mandate in December 2022.
Samoura’s letter read in part:
“Notwithstanding the above, the Bureau observed that the mandate of the ZIFA Board had come to an end in December 2022 in so far as the last elections of the ZIFA Board had taken place in December 2018 for a four-year term.
“Also, Mr Mamutse had apparently not resumed his position of General Secretary, thus leading to sanctions, which were currently subject to an employment-related dispute at national level. In this context, from a legal standpoint, it is no longer possible for Mr Kamambo, his fellow Board members and Mr Mamutse (i) to resume their positions of leadership at ZIFA, and (ii) to confirm that ZIFA is under their full and unconditional control,’’ she said.
“In particular, the difficulties in finding a consensus with the SRC in terms of its compliance with the decision of the FIFA Council has led to an extensive duration of the suspension imposed on ZIFA (i.e. approximately one and a half years). This has certainly contributed towards creating a political vacuum in the ZIFA leadership to date. Additionally, the obvious need for stability towards the football community and the SRC as well as the need for reforms were also raised as topics during the FIFA-CAF mission in Harare.
“There might be a momentum to address several sensitive topics that have been reported to FIFA and the SRC, such as sexual harassment in Zimbabwean football.
“Under these circumstances, the Bureau of the Council decided on 10 July 2023 to lift the suspension on ZIFA with immediate effect and to appoint immediately a Normalisation Committee for ZIFA, pursuant to article 8 paragraph 2 of the FIFA Statutes.
“ . . . Finally, the lifting of the suspension imposed on ZIFA and the appointment of a Normalisation Committee shall take place without prejudice to the ongoing investigations and court proceedings at national level,’’ wrote Samoura.
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