adminPetros Kausiyo Harare Bureau
THE long-running dispute between Zifa and international match agents Kentaro AG continues to stalk the Association with the Deputy Sheriff late yesterday swooping on the country’s governing football body’s headquarters in Harare to attach property in the latest tale related to the row. Zifa and Kentaro have been haggling for the last six years in matter related to the proceeds of the high-profile international friendly match between the Warriors and Brazil at the National Sports Stadium in 2010.
The Swiss match agents have over the years been demanding $650,000 from Zifa and the matter spilled into the court in Switzerland.
But, in the latest twist, the Deputy Sheriff yesterday afternoon descended on the Zifa headquarters at 53 Livingstone Avenue and removed property as part of a bid to recover 19,000 Swiss Francs which the Association owe to the law firm which represented them in their case against Kentaro in Switzerland.
Zifa lawyer Ralph Maganga said the nature of the agreement which Kentaro had entered into with the Association was such that any dispute between the parties would be resolved in a Swiss court and when a row erupted, they had no choice but to defend themselves in the European country.
It is against this background, Maganga said, Zifa engaged Swiss law firm Horst Weber to represent them with the soccer mother body steadfastly denying they owe Kentaro $650,000 and arguing they were not directly involved in arranging the clash between the Warriors and the Samba Boys.
In yesterday’s case, in which the Deputy Sheriff attached and removed property which included desks and chairs from some of the offices, it is Weber and Partners who, through their Zimbabwean lawyers Sawyer and Mkushi Legal Practitioners, are seeking to recover 19,000 Swiss francs which is payment for their services in defending Zifa in a Swiss court.
“In terms of the agreement that was there between Zifa and Kentaro it’s that in the event of any dispute between the parties, the matter would have to be taken to a Swiss law firm and to a Swiss court. So when a dispute arose, it meant that we needed lawyers from Switzerland to represent us and we engaged Horst Weber,’’ Maganga said.
Zifa, Maganga said, had, however, failed to pay for the services provided by Weber Law Partners with the association’s lawyer conceding that they reneged on a payment plan they had made to service the debt.
“When a payment plan that was entered into between Horst Weber and Zifa was not fulfilled, they then engaged Sawyer and Mkushi to represent them here so they first came last year and attached property and today they have removed what they identified and attached.
“That property doesn’t include the property that is being leased by Zifa, including the one at the front office. It must also be recalled that Kentaro had tried to garnishee FAP funds (Fifa Financial Assistance Programme funds) but Fifa declined so the problems of the Kentaro debt are not yet over for us,’’ Maganga said.
Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa, whose leadership inherited the Kentaro issue, has since instituted a forensic audit of Zifa and has been pleading with the creditors to be patient with them while the audit is being carried out.
The Kentaro row even sucked in the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
The Brazil/Zimbabwe match attracted about 55,000 fans drawn from all races at the giant stadium while a number of big corporate companies, also chipped in with sponsorship for the successful staging of the match which was also used as part of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority’s programmes to spruce up the country’s image.
Six years on Zifa are still haunted by the saga that followed that big game, which gave local fans a chance to watch live, such superstars like Kaka, Dani Alves, Julio Cesar, Bastos and Robinho.
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter