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REFEREES have threatened to boycott the Zifa Bulawayo Province leagues over last season match fees amounting to about $2 000 owed to them by the clubs. The match officials have reportedly resolved not to officiate at games involving teams that were still owing them.
This was revealed by provincial chairman Washington Chimanda at the league’s annual general meeting held in the city on 22 February.
Chimanda advised the clubs to settle the outstanding fees before the start of the 2015 season.
Zifa Bulawayo Province comprises the Division Two and Three leagues.
Last year, referees’ fees were pegged at $70 for Division Two and $50 for Division Three but the charges excluded transport fees that were set at prevailing public transport costs.
Chimanda said efforts to recover the monies were not successful but they would vigorously pursue those in the red.
“We had a number of teams in the 2014 season who failed to pay match officiating fees and our clubs owe $1 891 in match fees and referees have threatened to boycott all the owing teams in the 2015 season. I would like to give credit to all teams that owned up and I urge them to continue in the same way for the good of football,” said Chimanda, adding that the league received a few complaints of bad officiating. He said they would continuously engage the Referees Committee for improvement in refereeing standards.
He chided administrators who have exhibited uncouth behaviour by shouting insults and threatening match officials, saying they set bad precedents for players.
“This kind of behaviour by some administrators sets a bad precedent for players who are likely to follow suit. It is the role of administrators to educate the footballers on rules and regulations of the game and promote fair play.
“The Disciplinary Committee has come out strongly against violence in football and we fully support their stance as we will not tolerate resolution of football disputes through violence,” said Chimanda.
He said the disciplinary committee for 2015 would remain the same. The committee comprises lawyer Godfrey Sengweni as chairman, veteran administrator Stanley Ntenezi as vice-chairman; Zibusiso Ncube (secretary) while lawyer Shepherd Chamunorwa is board member.
The two leagues are expected to kick off on 4 April, with player registration expected to have been completed on 25 March while the deadline for payment of affiliation fees was last Friday.
Meanwhile, Chimanda said they acceded to a request by the Bulawayo Amateur Football Association to reserve one slot in Division Three for their champions.
Sithole said after meeting as a board they felt the request was noble and would go a long way in improving the standard of football at Bafa and in the province in general.
Bafa chairman, Chris Mtungwazi said they were glad their proposal was accepted and the development would certainly give a new dimension to their league.
“We resolved to have only one team going so as not to put pressure on our teams, some of whom might not have the financial muscle to compete in Division Three as they fork out more in affiliation and other fees,” he said.
Online Reporter