admin
Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
FIFA development officer for Southern Africa Ashford Mamelodi has appealed for calm before and during the Zifa board elections set for Harare today and insisted that the association’s assembly should be left to select a new leadership without disruptions.
Mamelodi flew into the country on Thursday to supervise the Zifa General Assembly and the elections on behalf of the world soccer governing body.
Incumbent Cuthbert Dube, who is seeking re-election, will face off against board member marketing Nigel Munyati, former Zifa chairman Trevor David Carelse-Juul and Harare City chairman Leslie Gwindi in the main race – that of the presidency.
Mamelodi has over the years witnessed similar elections and reported to the world body.
The veteran Botswana-based Fifa official immediately got down to work by meeting with the Zifa board and the electoral committee while another indaba is scheduled with the Sport and Recreation Commission before the elections this morning.
The respected Fifa official is also looking at paying a courtesy call on Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Andrew Langa on Monday.
But it is the elections and controversies that have stalked the Zifa polls which are Mamelodi’s brief on the latest of his many visits to the country and he said he would engage the electoral committee over the claims that had been raised about irregularities .
“In my meeting with the Electoral Committee I want to be assured that everything is in place and if there challenges I need to address them before the General Assembly so that we continue to safeguard principles of transparency and we expect the committee to have dealt with any complaints of irregularities,’’ Mamelodi said.
Mamelodi revealed that he had been concerned about the “noise and excitement that the Zifa elections have attracted’’.
The former Cosafa secretary-general revealed that he had been following developments in Zimbabwe in the build to the polls through media reports as well as contacts with Zifa and decried “the mudslinging that has been taking place’’.
“Even before I got here I have followed press reports about the elections and I have also heard about the challenges but the most important thing to note is that Zifa elections are just sport elections and they are not national political elections so some of the excitement we have seen shouldn’t really be there or ought to be controlled.”
In appealing for calm, Mamelodi said he was aware that candidates had undertaken vigorous campaigns but reckoned that the campaign trails needed to focus on projects that aspirants intend to implement.
“I don’t mind people lobbying for votes as much as they should but the Zifa General Assembly is the authority as far as Saturday is concerned.
“Zimbabweans need to do away with the culture of fighting, using intimidatory tactics or making noises that may disrupt the general assembly.
“The mudslinging we have witnessed is very unfortunate people should contest on the basis of what programmes they want to do when elected but to personally attack individuals and call each other names to me really smacks of leadership deficiency and that is very malicious and I question that type of leadership.
“I hope in future we will have less and less of that and see candidates addressing issues that need to be tackled.
“The reasons why I raise this is that I always come to the Zifa elections and for a long time I have noticed that a lot of the disputes and this hoo-ha come up simply because it is election time and that becomes a major problem,’’ Mamelodi said.
Fifa, Mamelodi also said, would only recognise and endorse a leadership that would have been chosen by the Zifa assembly in terms of the mandate bestowed on them through the association’s constitution.
“We have done a lot of extensive work on the Zifa statutes to ensure that they comply with the Fifa statutes and we are happy that the Zifa constitution is now in line with Fifa statutes
“We always get concerned about accurate interpretation of the statutes. I must reiterate that the General Assembly is the parliament of football and as Fifa we stress that this is the only the only body that is mandated to elect a leadership for the sport.
“Fifa is there to protect Zifa as our member and any moves that may interrupt the General Assembly and which amounts to interference, Fifa will take a dim view to that and we will no doubt take action so even the interference that is coming from the direction of government will not be tolerated.
“I am happy with the stance taken by the SRC and the advice they have given on how this matter should be handled,’’ Mamelodi said.
“The Zifa elections are exclusively for the Zifa members and they should be allowed to choose their own leadership freely so any action that is contrary to Zifa and Fifa statutes will no doubt attract action from Fifa’’.
“Fifa statutes make no mention of the intervention of parliament…there is the Ministry of Sport and the SRC and these should be the competent bodies through which they can relate with Zifa on football matters.
“We are not opposed to inquiries or criminal investigations taking place and the law of the land will take its course but all we are saying as Fifa is that the day to day business of football belong to members of Zifa’’
Fifa, Mamelodi said would work with any of the winning candidates after today’s election.
“Generally at Fifa we have been happy with the leadership that Zifa have had notwithstanding the challenges they faced financially… they have managed to finish Goal Projects Two and Three and will now embark on Goal Project Four which is awaiting land.
“As they are outgoing we thank them for their commitment to the game and the success at CHAN against the huge financial challenges they faced and we hope that the leadership that will come in tomorrow can carry on from that.
“At Fifa we will work with anybody elected so it must be remembered that football will continue for the next four years,’’ Mamelodi said.
Online Reporter