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A DAY after world soccer governing body FIFA once again reiterated that he is the recognised legitimate leader of the domestic game, an unfazed ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa was hard at work in Paris, France, last night as he made arrangements for a possible international friendly between Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Chiyangwa is in France to watch the ongoing Euro 2016 championships and last night he held talks with the Nigerian Minister of Sport and Youth Barr Solomon Dalong before watching the quarter-final clash between the hosts France and Iceland.
The ZIFA president has shaken off an ambitious bid by a section of former administrators led by the controversial Francis Zimunya to try and usurp the leadership of the game from him.
But FIFA have been steadfast in their stance and insisted at the weekend that Chiyangwa is the man they recognise as ZIFA president despite the machinations to try and depose him under the guise that he lost his mandate to lead the domestic game.
Chiyangwa, looking at the big picture of his responsibility, took the opportunity of his presence in France to try and tie a deal for a friendly match between the Super Eagles and the Warriors which will constitute the two teams’ preparations for the 2017 African Cup Nations finals.
ZIFA will also know of their bid to apply for sequestration on Wednesday after the High Court set down the matter for July 6.
The soccer mother body last week suffered a technical hitch when the High Court struck off their application on the basis of some inadequacies linked to their bid to have the matter heard.
But in a notice released on Thursday, the matter has now been set down for July 6, just three days before the association’s top policy making body — the assembly also meets to take the correct and necessary steps to dissolve the bankrupt football body.
ZIFA first made the application through their lawyer Stephen Zvinavakobvu and the association has in the last few days been actively pursuing the matter with the guidance of the Ministry of Sport and Recreation.
In the application that Zvinavakobvu of Zvinavakobvu Law Chambers filed, the soccer mother body applied for sequestration and surrender, in which they nominated Freddie Chimbari of Fremus Executor Services as an appropriate trustee to manage their affairs.
ZIFA boss Chiyangwa deposed an affidavit narrating the woes that have been haunting the debt-ridden association whose operations have been weighed down by a soaring debt currently pegged at $6 million.
“Applicant has been exposed to litigation on numerous occasions and in the process, has lost money, goodwill, reputation and any assets of value and is now left with a depleted asset register which virtually has nothing, such that its liabilities, debts and obligations now far outweigh its assets.
“Put differently, the applicant is insolvent and cannot function.
“It is unable to meet its debts and the only option is to simply surrender in terms of the law so that its life comes to an end thus bringing to an end the continuation of debts to pile up and to avoid further exposing service providers, creditors and other entities that are owed,” wrote Chiyangwa in his affidavit.
Chiyangwa noted that ZIFA had been operating at a loss arguing that even if all the remaining assets were to be sold, the debt could never be cleared.
“It is clear that even if the assets are to be sold, they cannot even meet an eighth of the liabilities. The situation cannot be turned around. It is just hopeless,” Chiyangwa said.
Some of ZIFA’s major creditors include CBZ Bank who are owed a whopping $1,795,000; Pandhari Lodge($268,436) Vogel Weber ($21 000) the ZIFA Ad-Hoc Committee ($600 000) Buymore Investments ($438,222) and led Led Travel and Tours who are claiming $244,527. ZIFA were however, reminded by the Ministry of Sport and Recreation of the need to observe Article 77 of their statutes which deals with matters of dissolution.
It is against the constitutional requirement of that article that the ZIFA assembly will now meet again on July 9 in the capital to try and rectify their procedural flaws.
That Article 77 on Dissolution states that:
1 Any decision relating to the dissolution of ZIFA requires a majority of three quarters of all the Members of ZIFA, which must be obtained at a Congress specially convened for the purpose.
2 If ZIFA is disbanded, its assets shall be transferred to the Sport and Recreation Commission Zimbabwe. It shall hold these assets in trust as “bonus pater familiae’’ until ZIFA is re-established. The final Congress may, however, choose another recipient for the assets on the basis of a three quarters majority,’’ reads the Article.
If their June 4 indaba had a technical flaw of having not been convened for the purposes of dissolution, the ZIFA Assembly are now hoping that the July 9 meeting whose specific agenda is dissolution will set them on the path of doing the correct move.
Online Reporter