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THREE months after a friendly match against Morocco, it is still unclear whether Zifa were paid an appearance fee for the match that Zimbabwe lost 1-2 in Agadir.Since the November 16 match Zifa board members have insisted that they knew nothing about the game and were not told details to do with finances too. There have been suggestions that some board members are sidelined from major happenings at Zifa with head of secretariat Jonathan Mashingaidze allegedly informing only the Zifa president Cuthbert Dube.
Calls have been made countrywide for the two men to step down.
The travelling party which was reduced to near destitutes without even a single cent to buy items like airtime, water and food while in transit in Dubai and Casablanca, were not given any allowances while in North Africa. Even efforts to get match agent Alexandre Ribeiro to confirm the arrangements hit a brickwall.
Usually players are paid allowances during camp, on tour and after the game. It was only on arrival after the players had threatened to take home tracksuits and uniforms that they were paid $100 each.
At some stage the match was nearly called off as the Zifa secretariat in Harare had misrepresented that the match was an official senior teams’ clash. It was only when Zifa spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela explained that the Warriors had been disbanded and that the Under-23 team on tour was the future senior squad that the match went on.
Upon return Chronicle Sport wrote that the situation obtaining at Zifa then was a recipe for underhand dealings and match-fixing as employees had gone for several months without salaries.
Journalists from Morocco, upon realising the absence of many top names, queried if Zimbabwe had brought the Warriors. The issue had Ribeiro very worried and feeling short-changed by Zifa.
He wore a happy face when Zimbabwe took the lead in the game only to allow the home team to score two goals to clinch the tie.
It has become a norm for such matches to have the visiting team paid an appearance fee apart from transport and food in some instances.
Zifa have also weighed in with that line of argument that some national teams demand over $50,000 in appearance fees for matches on the Fifa calendar date. It baffles the mind why the national association opted to increase its debts by accepting to play Morocco knowing coaches and players would need to be paid.
Ribeiro runs his match agency from France.
In response to questions by Chronicle Sport this week, Ribeiro said all dues to Zifa were paid. He did not elaborate which ones he was referring to insisting on knowing who our source was.
“I just can confirm that all conditions have been fulfilled and that no money has (sic) been given to any member of the delegation. I would like to know who is alleging this?” he wrote in an email response.
In another he said: “First of all I have to inform you that all informations (sic) that you requested are confidential. We have not received any complain (sic) of Zifa or any other persons, and this because all conditions have been fulfilled as I explained in my previous mail. Who is making these allegations?”
During the journey to Morocco, senior team officials did not have any single document about the game and when it was put across to them that a senior Zimbabwe team was expected, they were at sea. The absence of official documents pertaining to the trip left a lot of questions unanswered.
Such communication about the game helps clear the air in times of conflict with the hosts.
The team was managed by Patrick Muteswa with coach Callisto Pasuwa assisted by Nation Dube, Saul Chaminuka and Tembo Chuma.
The technical team had a closed meeting at Dubai International Airport where they expressed reservations over the way Zifa treated them and felt players were left vulnerable to match-fixing.
The team was housed in a luxurious hotel with each player having his own room which, in fact, was a security threat in the days of match-fixers. Officials were given rooms separately in apartments numbering up to five.
Online Reporter