Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WOMEN’S football insiders say Maningi Youth Soccer Academy’s sudden withdrawal from the Zimbabwe Women’s Premier Soccer League is only the start of a bigger crisis.
In a September 16 statement, the ZWPSL confirmed the club’s exit, thanking Maningi for “substantial contributions to the advancement of women’s soccer.”
But behind the polite words lies frustration. Maningi’s own letter cites “a plethora of issues,” chief among them the alleged diversion of FIFA and CAF women’s football grants by ZIFA to men’s activities.
Without the promised financial support, Maningi said they could no longer meet the costs of referees’ fees and other match expenses.
The club also complained about weak legal protection in player transfers, having lost nearly half of last season’s squad to other teams, some in breach of contract and without compensation.
This is not the first mid-season withdrawal. Shine Shine walked away in 2023 and COSA followed in 2019, both citing financial strain while facing relegation. Yet Maningi’s case has sparked stronger debate about how the league is run.
Money troubles have long dogged the women’s game. The 2023/24 season saw a US$200 000 FIFA World Cup reinvestment fund channelled through a Normalisation Committee, which gave each of the 16 ZWPSL clubs US$10 000 and used the rest for administration.
Clubs expected more this year, but ZIFA’s new leadership is still restructuring to meet FIFA funding requirements, which include audited accounts and active men’s and women’s national teams each playing at least four matches a year.
Until those conditions are met, ZIFA cannot draw the next round of FIFA Forward money.
“We inherited an office which had zero funds in the account because they were running without a sponsor,” ZWPSL chair Chido Chizondo said.
“Maningi’s plight comes as no surprise because this is the current predicament of most of the teams. Clubs must find their own sponsors because even if a sponsor comes on board or if we get an allocation from a FIFA grant, it will be minimal.”
The league’s shaky finances show in player transfers. Few moves involve actual cash. Platinum Royals once offered training equipment instead of money for a Maningi player, but the deal collapsed when Maningi asked for cash. Correctional Queens lost a rising star to Chapungu with no compensation, the player drawn by a job offer in the Air Force of Zimbabwe.
“This concerning lack of cash transactions casts doubt on the league’s commercial viability,” Chizondo said. “Mostly uniformed forces have emerged as the primary beneficiaries of this economic gap so we have to come up with ways to protect clubs.”
Before last year, the ZWPSL had no constitution and most clubs lacked written player contracts. Some reforms are underway, including registering clubs under FIFA Connect and drafting transfer guidelines. But until stable funding and enforceable contracts are in place, observers fear more teams could follow Maningi out of the league
