Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Government will stand by every athlete, especially footballers, following suspension of the country by Fifa from all international football activities.
In a statement, the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Kirsty Coventry said they would also fully stand with female referees that were sexually harassed by Zifa officials until justice prevails.
She said the suspension did not come as a surprise to them, but believes it’s a necessary pain towards cleansing the local game of corrupt administrators and sexual predators.
“I know some of you are angry, some of you agree with the steps taken and some of you are in the middle. I also know we have unwavering love for all things football. We love how it brings us together; we see it through out our communities, all ages playing; we love that it brings us hope and makes us proud.
Has our football given us these things in the past few years? Has it made us proud? Has it brought us hope? Has it unified us?
“Has it opened opportunities for our players and our youth to dream big and make successful careers? These are some of the questions I asked myself two years ago when this Zifa saga yet again plagued our country.
The board in and out of court for different reasons, the continuous allegations of bribery and corruption, the new allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of power.
“When will this stop? When will we have true leaders in soccer, whose momentum is to drive our beloved sport forward? To develop opportunities for our young boys and girls to have the opportunity to share their talents with the world? When will we read headlines about the good that Zifa is doing and not the bad that they are into,” said Minister Coventry.
She said all this needed to be fixed while finding common ground with both Caf and Fifa at the same time respecting the sovereign laws of Zimbabwe as well as the Caf and Fifa statutes.
“This is what the SRC have been doing for the last two years. They requested to engage with Caf and Fifa as the governing bodies of soccer for the continent and globe.
‘They did this knowing and respecting the constitutions of the two. In the series of communications SRC gave a full briefing to both organs of the allegations, outstanding court cases and frustrations and requested for some assistance on how best to move forward.
“The reason for this request, was simple; we love football, we know the huge talent we have and want to give our players an opportunity to shine,” said the Minister.
She said after nearly two years of communication, there has been no change; the Zifa board is still in and out of court fighting charges of corruption, bribery, and the new allegations and cases of sexual harassment and abuse of power.
Minister Coventry said Fifa and Caf must uphold their constitutions, which, according to the two bodies was not negotiable while on the other hand the SRC must do its job to protect and serve athletes and in doing that will not reinstate alleged sexual predators and individuals fighting legal court cases.
“Part of our new ethos and what you will see in the Zimbabwe Sport Integrity Bill being formulated now is reference made to good corporate governance. A part of this bill will require all sporting bodies to uphold the integrity of our nation’s sport. In any business or governing bodies, or even foundations and NGOs members are required to uphold the values and ethos of these bodies and at no point put them into disrepute.
If a member does bring the organisation into reputational queries the member is normally requested to step aside and deal with their issues before (being) readmitted. This is done to protect the organisation, to protect their stakeholders.
“This was never done in the case of Zifa management and board. They continuously go in and out of court and in the meantime run football. Why would we expect anything to change in their governance if there is nothing requiring them to change?
Throughout these two years, it became very clear our responsibility is to protect our stakeholders, our main stakeholders are our sportspersons. When we received these allegations of sexual harassment and abuse last year and found out that nothing had been done to protect the women, it was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
This is what led to the suspension of the Zifa board and secretary-general.
“This decision to suspend them was not taken lightly; all repercussions were previewed at length, all crossroads were played out. SRC with the full support of Government and the sports-loving public, chose to protect our athletes.
“We chose to stand up for what we believe will be better for our national game. We knew that it might come at a cost, and we are willing to take that risk, because sometimes we have to fight for the voiceless, the vulnerable and the powerless.
“We will stand next to these strong brave women who have come forward. We will stand next to our athletes and ensure they have the right opportunities to drive their sport forward. We will do anything to ensure this sport we all so dearly love is protected and is taken to new heights.
“We want to find a way forward with Caf and Fifa that allows for us as Zimbabwe to thrive as a football nation,” said Minister Coventry.
Online Reporter