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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE country’s supreme sports body, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), has described the nomination fees for Zifa elections recently announced by the soccer mother-body as shocking and unprecedented in the history of sports in the country.The main Zifa elections will be held on March 26, 2014.
Sports and Recreation Commission director general Charles Nhemachena told Chronicle Sport during an interview yesterday that the commission was concerned about the high fees and immediately asked for their justification.
“We ordered them to justify those fees. In their response they claimed they set high fees so that they will finance their elections next year but still the outcries are even louder. The issue will now be deliberated on during the SRC board meeting on Wednesday next week,” said Nhemachena.
According to the schedule of fees announced by the Zifa chief executive officer, Jonathan Mashingaidze, late last month, individuals targeting Zifa board positions will have to fork out a whopping $10,000 with Premiership aspirants parting with $5,000 while those vying for the women’s football, beach soccer and five-a-side will pay $2,500.
Those that are interested in going for regional offices are expected to pay $1,500 with provincial candidates depositing $1,000 to stand for the elections while area zone nomination fees have been pegged at $100.
“In the interest of making sure that stakeholders’ interests are taken care of, we saw it fit to demand that justification from them (Zifa). We definitely hope the board will consider the stakeholders’ and not individuals’ interests. After that the nation will know the SRC’s official position,” said the director general.
The fees have received widespread condemnation across the country. Former chairman Vincent Pamire said the fees would clearly disadvantage people with football brains but limited resources.
“Honestly I think these Zifa people are trying to deny other people the right to contest in the coming elections. This is clearly a deliberate ploy which will work against the good of football development.
“Football administration is not necessarily about money but it’s about the brains. There are lot of people with football brains who will not make it because those with money and not football brains will go in and in the process it is football that will suffer,” he said.
Zimbabwe Soccer Agents Association chairman Omega Sibanda described the nomination fees as “absolute nonsense.”
“Football administration is a voluntary thing and these fees that we are hearing are absurd. It’s as if the powers that be are trying to block others by creating an uneven environment. What I am saying is that they must just let the best candidate stand. These fees are not normal and I suspect that someone is trying to be silly because I doubt very much if those in leadership knew about these fees,” Sibanda said.
He said there was a need for Zifa to consult football stakeholders when reviewing nomination fees just like they did with the constitution review process.
Sibanda said the five years experience needed for one to qualify to hold an administrative post is enough to warrant one to stand for selection.
Former Highlanders chairman and national team manager Ernest “Maphepha” Sibanda said his aspirations have been hampered.
“I wanted to come back into football administration after being approached by a number of people who believe that there is something that I can offer to the game.
“It is unfortunate that due to these steep nomination fees people like us former players will not be able to stand for Zifa elections. I don’t think people like Kalusha Bwalya or George Weah ever paid such nomination fees but they hold high football offices in their respective countries,” Sibanda said.
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