adminleft out in the cold early last month when Zifa suspended all players and coaches whose names appeared in the Asiagate report that was compiled by the Ndumiso Gumede probe team.
It was Zifa’s contention that all those fingered would first need to have their names cleared by the Justice Ebrahim independent committee before they can resume national duties. That move resulted in FC Platinum coach Rahman Gumbo being tasked to take charge of the Warriors on a caretaker basis with the former
Highlanders mentor presiding over the senior team’s 2013 African Cup of Nations first round, first leg qualifier against Burundi, albeit on a 2-1 losing cause.
Gumbo has since had his tenure extended by another two matches which is the return leg of the Burundi tie at Rufaro as well as the opening game of the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Zifa board would, however, have to look beyond just the two games they have given Gumbo and make a decision on the senior team’s substantive set-up.
With the Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup likely to be staged in July, and Zifa also resolving to make use of all Fifa international dates for friendlies, the association cannot afford to continue with coaches taking charge on a caretaker basis.
Zifa chief executive, Jonathan Mashingaidze, acknowledged as much last night and said the board would apart from the Warriors issue also get an update on the technical teams of all the national teams as well as the various national assignments that are coming up including the Young Mighty Warriors’ Fifa Under-20 Women World Cup qualifier.
Coach Langton Giwa and his Young Mighty Warriors will fly out to Nigeria tomorrow for the second round of the Fifa Under-20 Women World Cup, first leg showdown with the Falconets.
But there is no doubting that one of the highlights of Friday’s indaba at which a host of issues will be tabled, will be the state of the Warriors set-up as Zifa will for the first time give the clearest indication of Mapeza’s fate.
Despite his suspension, Mapeza has a three-year contract with Zifa and is the Warriors’ substantive coach.
“We need to have ratification of who is who from the Under-13 to the seniors for both men and women. Once the positions are ratified we will then communicate with the relevant technical teams but the Under-20 technical department is already in place and working ahead of their Caf assignment.
“We also want to ensure that the VW Juniors graduates are not left to wonder about with nothing to do so there must be an active Under-15 that will in turn feed into the Under-17.
“The Zone VI Games in Zambia this year will be contested for by the Under-17 team and we need to be ready for that as well as the Caf competitions,’’ Mashingaidze said.
Mashingaidze, however, admitted that it was imperative for Zifa to clarify the Warriors’ set-up and enable whoever is appointed substantive coach to plan ahead for the double assault on the Nations Cup and World Cup qualifying campaigns.
“We have 2013 Nations Cup, 2014, World Cup, Cosafa and the Fifa friendlies and indeed we cannot have a loose set-up,’’ Mashingaidze said. The long-dragging
Asiagate saga has also been billed on the agenda with Mashingaidze indicating that the board is expecting an update from the Justice Ebrahim Independent committee “on the ground they have covered in bringing the matter to finality’’.
“The committee has been doing its job and the board will get an update on the projected time frame of when they hope to complete the hearings and we will also discuss Chris Eaton’s (Fifa head of security) impending visit in April and make our observations on where Zifa and Fifa need to collaborate more on the Asiagate
matter.
“We will make it clear to Eaton as he prepares to leave Fifa that the Asiagate matter touches the nerve of a nation, it touches on the impact of Zifa’s relations with the corporate world and the nation at large and it also impacts on the next generation of players’’.
The crucial Zifa board meeting will also precede the association’s general assembly set for the Zifa Village on Saturday.
But with Zifa president Cuthbert Dube and his board also set to deliberate on the local match-fixing scam, the constitutional review, the association’s financial status and the Goal Project, it looks set to be a marathon indaba that could stretch from mid-morning to late in the day.
“Right now Brighton Mudzamiri and his investigating team are in Matabeleland winding up their probe on local match-fixing because the local season is about to start and we don’t want a recurrence of what we saw last year.
“Friday’s board meeting will also discuss the ratification of the independent committee that will handle cases of local match-fixing and corruption.
“The Goal Bureau is meeting in Switzerland tomorrow (today) to discuss applications and among them is our application so for us it is like judgment day tomorrow as you know that we want to build a conference room at the Zifa Village,’’ Mashingaidze said.
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