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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Acting Sports Editor
THE Zimbabwe Women Football has come under the spotlight again following revelations that affiliation fees paid by Super League clubs cannot be accounted for amid fears of embezzlement. The league has gone for a year without a match being played.It has also emerged that Zifa board member finance Elliot Kasu did not append his signature to the $3 million sponsorship deal from Marange Resources as previously thought with Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede describing the signing gesture by Kasu during the ceremony last year as “merely symbolic signing’’ as they were never consulted but only invited to the ceremony to give it a face.
Clubs only played one season (last year) and the year ends today without any explanation as to why there were no league games despite affiliation fees having been paid.
Clubs paid affiliation fees of $500 each at the beginning of the season but went through the year without kicking a ball.
“The only reason why we did not have league games this season is sponsorship, we could not secure sponsorship and most of our clubs are struggling financially so we could not have them carry the burden,” said Zimbabwe Women Football acting secretary-general Ben Mamoche.
Inquiries by this paper revealed that the affiliation fees were paid to a CBZ account although the national women football body has another account that has different signatories with First Bank. One person though is believed to be a common signatory in both accounts.
Pressed on this issue, Mamoche said:
“As far as I am concerned, no club paid any affiliation fees, not according to records from an account that I am a signatory to anyway.”
Told that clubs paid through a CBZ account, the acting secretary general professed ignorance of the account.
“Ah well I am not aware of the account,” he said.
Mamoche’s position gives credence to reports that there are different signatories and accounts.
“We paid $500 to an account that we were given at the beginning of the year but what worries us is that the young girls did not kick a single ball despite training literally every day and authorities playing hide and seek with us,” said Trust Kwembeya, a respected women football administrator and director of Inline Academy that has produced a number of national team players.
He said so frustrating was working with the present Mavis Gumbo-led executive that a number of club officials were contemplating quitting women football as they have failed to get redress even from the national association.
The Zimbabwe Women Football is an affiliate of Zifa.
Gumede said as the national association, they could only step in as and when they receive an official complaint, without which they could not poke their noses into the affairs of women football.
Another club official who spoke on condition of anonymity also said their club paid $500 but were bitter at the officials for taking them for granted.
“We have proof of payment because we love football but what these administrators are doing to the girl child is so sad,” said the official.
On the Marange Resources sponsorship money, Mamoche said the diamonds company was dealing directly with clubs through depositing transport, accommodation and meals money into their (clubs) accounts.
Kwembeya confirmed this development.
“It’s true that the sponsors were depositing transport, food and accommodation money directly to our accounts and as clubs we have no issues with that,” he said.
Online Reporter