adminLovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
ZIFA is investigating how replica jerseys in Warriors colours were sold in Cape Town, South Africa during the Chan finals in January.
Before the tournament Umbro came on board as kit sponsors specifically for the tournament. The senior national team used the label at the continental showpiece for locally based players in a deal believed to have been brokered by the technical team.
Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze was on Monday spitting fire over the sale of replica jerseys without Zifa’s approval. He said no agreement had been signed with any kit manufacturer. He said the agents had made a killing in Cape Town as the Warriors brand enjoyed good visibility courtesy of the team’s reaching the semi-finals.
He said; “We have no deal with any kit manufacturer. We have always maintained that we are yet to sign an agreement with any label so it is mischievous for anyone to go out there and sell replicas. Anarchy in the game will not be tolerated where one wakes up one morning and brings his own material to sell.”
Zifa, he said could have been prejudiced of hundreds of thousands of rands at that tournament through the illegal sale of the replicas.
“As Zifa we do not know who sold those T-shirts and how many were disposed. Judging from what we were seeing on the terraces, we have no doubt that we lost a fortune,” said Mashingaidze.
He said his association was disturbed by that kind of behaviour and were also investigating goings-on at the Warriors camp.
“We are taken aback by reports of external forces having had free access to the camp. Security was not tight and that left the boys vulnerable. It appears there was dealing and wheeling in camp with agents meeting players at free will.
“The boys had divided attention and it is disturbing to hear that there was even a pastor staying with the team,” said Mashingaidze.
He said Zimbabwe was coming from the Asiagate scandal in which national teams from 2007 were infiltrated by match-fixing syndicates of which one Raj Perumal was implicated.
“Even religious men have to stay away from the camp. It is a no go area because of the sensitivity to issues like match-fixing and a workshop we attended last year was very explicit on such matters.”
“The Warriors was like an open market for all. We need to protect the team and national pride. Our priority was to go and play to win the tournament not to export players. If agents and clubs want our players it should be back home at their respective teams as we do not want fingers pointed at the national team.
“Already we have some teams saying they are not eager to release their players to the national team because they fear losing them. As the national association we have the interest of clubs, players and even agents at heart. No agent should be seen to be gaining an advantage over others because of links with us the secretariat, board, assembly or technical team,” said the Zifa head of secretariat.
Meanwhile in another development, Mashingaidze said the national association will next month have a strategic planning workshop for new members voted into the football body.
“It is important that they be inducted. That will be on the third week of April where a strategic planning workshop would be used to induct new members, spell out the association’s vision, values and mission statement. We need to travel in the same direction as Zimbabwe football and share the same dreams if we are to be a force to reckon with,” said Mashingaidze.
The strategic workshop will have 58 assembly members in attendance and the new board members as well. Media practitioners, sponsors, the Sport and Recreation Commission and Fifa would also be in attendance.
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