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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze’s verbal warfare against the media went a gear up last night when he labelled a senior sports journalist a “football convict” before threatening him with unspecified action.A day after he was exposed for criticising Sport, Arts and Culture Deputy Minister Tabetha Kanengoni-Malinga as an “ignorant” and “ill-informed” government official who was driving a “misguided” mission to try and remove the country’s embattled football leadership, Mashingaidze last night called Herald Senior Sports Editor Robson Sharuko a “football convict” who had no right to talk about football governance.
Speaking in an interview on SFM radio’s Grandstand programme last night, Mashingaidze claimed Sharuko had a personal vendetta against him adding that he (Mashingaidze) was aware of a sustained campaign that will probably run up until cows came home.
“That campaign is meant to portray me as a very incompetent, very hostile employee of the association,” said Mashingaidze.
Asked to comment on the letter which he allegedly wrote to Fifa, the Zifa spin doctor made a dramatic denial of ever penning such a document.
“I’d like to state that the alleged communication between my office and Fifa never took place. There is no such communication and I’m very keen to have sight of it (letter). I’d never go that route. I respect authority and I respect my principals. This is a bid to denigrate my person and office and set me on a collision course with the authorities,” said Mashingaidze.
“It’s sad really that the same person in all this is a convict in terms of football statutes and on this one I swear I’ ll take him to the cleaners,” said Mashingaidze.
The Zifa head of secretariat, when asked to comment on his utterances about the Deputy Minister Kanengoni-Malinga said:
“I’d never get anywhere near that. These are desperate attempts to ensure that there is a collision between Zifa and the Ministry,” said Mashingaidze.
In his criticism of the Deputy Minister in the letter he sensationally tried to disown yesterday, Mashingaidze even begged Fifa to caution the government about the possibility that Zimbabwe could be thrown out of international football.
Meanwhile, the Sport and Recreation Commission has presented its report from the Saturday meeting with the Zifa board to the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture .
Both the SRC and the ministry confirmed the development.
SRC board chairman Edward Siwela said his board deliberated on the issue and then met the ministry and its staff.
“While the Minister will be the best person to say out everything, what we generally agreed on was that there should be one point of reference in all this and that is through the Minister himself,” said Siwela.
Minister Andew Langa said he will go through the report and then let the nation know of the government’s final position next week.
“We know things are pressing yes, but we just want to do things procedurally, next week Zimbabweans will know my ministry’s position,” said Minister Langa last night.
Online Reporter