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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter
THE Sports and Recreation Commission have indicated that Zimbabwe are prepared to endure the FIFA ban while putting in place mechanisms that will end the rot in domestic football administration and usher in a fresh start.
The domestic game hit a new low on Thursday evening after the world football governing body announced ZIFA’s suspension from the “FIFA family”.
The Sports and Recreation Commission yesterday rejected the conditions set by FIFA for Zimbabwe’s reinstatement.
These include the reconstitution of the ZIFA board which was suspended last November over allegations of professional malpractices. Chief among the accusations levelled against the suspended board was the lack of accountability of public funds and the attempts to sweep under the carpet serious charges of sexual abuse against female referees.
FIFA also want suspended chief executive, Joseph Mamutse, to be reinstated and have the Sports Commission withdraw the court case against members of the ZIFA leadership, who are facing fraud charges at the magistrates’ court, for illegally using ZIFA letterheads after they were suspended.
But the Sports Commission yesterday made it clear that they will not compromise provisions of the country’s laws to appease FIFA. Sports Commission chairman, Gerald Mlotshwa, said ZIFA, despite being a member of FIFA, should be bound by the laws of the land since they operate under the Zimbabwe national constitution and representing Zimbabwe’s interests.
The ZIFA board was suspended under the SRC Act on November 16. Mlotshwa said the quartet of Kamambo, board members Philemon Machana, Stanley Chapeta and chief executive Mamutse who have pending criminal cases, should have their day in court, where they need to clear their names, under the provisions of the country’s laws.
Mlotshwa also made it clear that the ZIFA board will remain suspended until all due processes have taken place. Domestic football is also set to continue uninterrupted while a press conference will be convened on Monday to unpack the roadmap for the recovery of the game.
“Correspondence from FIFA, dated the 24th instant, addressed to the suspended ZIFA General Secretary purporting to suspend the Country’s national football association as a member of the FIFA family is noted.
“In essence, it appears that FIFA is constrained by the provisions of its own statutes to protect certain of the undoubted sexual predators, fraudsters and corrupt administrators at the helm of football administration in Zimbabwe.
“All this in the name of shielding ZIFA from, to quote FIFA in its letter, ‘…undue interference from a third party’. It is a fact that some of these administrators are facing, inter alia, charges of sexual harassment, bribery, fraud and general corruption before Zimbabwe’s Courts. FIFA has the full details of these matters,” said Mlotshwa.
The suspension of ZIFA’s membership means no representative Zimbabwean team can feature in international football, even in the CAF inter-club tournaments, while FIFA will also withhold all funding to this country.
FIFA also said neither the ZIFA nor any of its members or officials may benefit from any development programmes, courses or training from FIFA and/or CAF until the suspension was lifted. The Sports Commission chairman said FIFA were being hypocritical in their dealing with the Zimbabwe situation, especially the allegations of sexual abuse. Both FIFA and CAF have not done a thorough job ever since the allegations were communicated to them.
“It is clear that FIFA has interpreted these very serious charges as ‘mere allegations notwithstanding its ‘…zero tolerance policy towards corruption, sexual abuse and any other unethical conduct’.
“Both FIFA and CAF are fully aware of an insidious culture of sexual harassment perpetrated against female football referees in Zimbabwe.
“For the eighteen months lapsed since these allegations were brought to their respective attention, neither body has initiated any tangible investigation focused on culprits whose names are known to them.
“The instances of fraud and corruption within the corridors of ZIFA have also been brought to the attention of FIFA, who have placed on record their extreme reluctance to involve themselves in remedying this deplorable state of affairs.
“The SRC has a documented and demonstrable zero tolerance policy towards corruption, sexual abuse and any other unethical conduct’ in the administration of sport in Zimbabwe.
“It does not pay mere lip service to the same. We, at the SRC, act decisively within the confines of the laws of Zimbabwe, in particular the Sports & Recreation Commission Act as well as the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act.” Mlotshwa said FIFA should recognise the sovereignty of Zimbabwe and reminded the global football leadership that the country’s laws were more superior to the FIFA statutes, where ZIFA were a voluntary member.
“FIFA statutes are not a part of the laws of Zimbabwe. Conversely, ZIFA, and indeed all other national sports associations in the country, are subject to the laws of Zimbabwe.
“It is for this reason that they, and their respective constitutions, are registered with the SRC. FIFA recognises ZIFA as the sole governing body for football administration in Zimbabwe by virtue of its registration with the SRC.
“It is on this basis that it is admitted as a member of the ‘FIFA Family’ by FIFA. The SRC will hold a press conference with the media on Monday, 28th February, 2022, at a time to be advised, in order to render more fully its views on the correspondence from FIFA, and more importantly, to advise Zimbabweans of its road map on football and ZIFA for the duration of 2022,” he said.
“It suffices to quote for the time being, a perceptive message received from CAF president, Patrice Motsepe: ‘…We remain committed to finding a solution that respects the sovereignty and legal issues that you raised and is in accordance with the states and regulations of FIFA and CAF…’.
“Pending any such compromise, the ZIFA Executive Committee and the General Secretary shall remain suspended. The various matters pending before the Courts in Zimbabwe shall continue as shall the criminal proceedings and all other actions focused on restructuring football in our country.
“Domestic football will continue in Zimbabwe. It will be supported fully by the SRC, as has been the demonstrable case thus far. ZIFA will return to the ‘FIFA Family’ when it is in a condition fit to do so,” said Mlotshwa.
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