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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
THE ZIFA normalisation committee chairman Lincoln Mutasa yesterday called for unity of purpose among the football stakeholders to get Zimbabwe back in the groove following the long-awaited lifting of the country’s suspension by FIFA.
Mutasa, a former Dynamos player and chairman in the early 1980s, leads the four-member committee that also has former Mighty Warriors defender and coach Rosemary Mugadza, ex-Highlanders defender Sikhumbuzo Ndebele and legal practitioner Nyasha Tashinga Sanyamandwe.
The interim football leadership immediately got down to business just a few hours after it was unveiled yesterday with a meeting with the ZIFA secretariat.
Mutasa said the polarisation and Zimbabwe’s continued isolation had hurt the fabric of the domestic game to the core.
Zimbabwe were suspended by FIFA in February last year but on Tuesday night the world football governing body announced the sanction had been lifted and a normalisation set up to restore Zimbabwean football to its original settings.
“I want to thank FIFA, our government and SRC for finding each other. It was hurting not only the sports people but everyone . . . So I am really delighted and I thank all the parties involved for finding each other,” said Mutasa.
According to FIFA, the normalisation committee will have the following duties:
- To run the daily affairs of ZIFA;
- To restructure the ZIFA administration;
- To establish, with the help of FIFA, a collaboration agreement between the Ministry of Sport/the SRC and ZIFA, which will define the responsibilities and objectives of each party, including (but not exclusively) on the topic of sexual harassment;
- To review the ZIFA Statutes and Electoral Code to ensure their compliance with the FIFA Statutes and requirements, and to ensure their adoption by the ZIFA Congress;
- To act as an electoral committee in order to organise and conduct elections of a new ZIFA Board based on the newly aligned ZIFA Statutes and Electoral Code; and
- To ensure a proper financial handover to the new ZIFA Board.
Mutasa said he was confident of his team delivering on the mandate before the June 30, 2024 date set by the appointing authority.
“We did not apply to be members of this committee. We were approached and were interviewed. I didn’t know who I was going to be a team member with but I am highly inspired by the team that has been put together because it has got a wealth of experience both in the men and women’s game as well as the technocrats that have been allowed to surround us.
“I feel confident that we will be able to work well together as a team and try and meet the clear mandate that FIFA have tasked us with.
“I would like to highlight that we are a team and the secret behind any success is teamwork. We will be very happy and feel successful if after our tenure we would have set the platform for this country to achieve consistently getting to the World Cups.
“I always feel it is the ultimate aim for any footballer, and any football team aims to develop and play at the highest level. As we are led by somebody who has competed at the highest level (Minister Kirsty Coventry), I think we have enough inspiration as a country.
“For us to be able to do that, our team is not only the four of us but the whole nation. We are going to appeal to everybody, from our sponsors, stakeholders, players, the coaches and fans to all rally together so that as a nation we have one goal and we work towards that goal,” said Mutasa.
FIFA have revealed they have started releasing funds to ZIFA for development and the day-to-day running of football business in the country.
“During the term of the normalisation committee, FIFA Forward funds will be paid in monthly instalments and upon receipt of a budget, monthly reporting and other supporting documents such as bank statements,” said FIFA in a statement.
“Funds will only be released for planned projects approved prior to the appointment of the normalisation committee. Exceptions may be granted with FIFA’s prior agreement.
“In addition, a forensic audit of ZIFA’s accounts will be carried out as soon as possible and upon restitution of the relevant documentation by the local authorities and individuals that have been in control of ZIFA thus far.”
Over the years, ZIFA had suffered consequences of corruption and abuse of office, leading to the action by the Sports Commission to suspend the previous executive led by Felton Kamambo, who is facing bribery charges at the magistrate’s courts.
FIFA also revealed that the lifting of the suspension and the appointment of a normalisation committee shall take place without prejudice to the ongoing investigations and court proceedings at national level.
Online Reporter