admin
Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA yesterday dropped a bombshell after announcing that none of the country’s previously registered player agents have paid the required $5 000 renewal fee, effectively meaning there are no player agents in the country. The national association then advised clubs against dealing with unregistered agents, a position that is likely bring turmoil in domestic and indeed international football.
However the national soccer mother-body said they were still carrying out a manpower audit to determine with certainty the status of the agents and said once fully completed a final statement will be issued.
Communications director at the national association Xolisani Gwesela told Chronicle that Zifa would soon regularise the status of player agents in the country and those not adhering to expectations will be scrapped off the register.
“At the moment none has paid, this issue of player agents is becoming a problem and clubs should confirm with the national association whether one is compliant or not because you can not be a player agent when you have not paid,” said Gwesela.
He said clubs that do that will be breaching regulations and warned that the association might sternly deal with them.
Asked to comment on the list of player agents on the Fifa official website, Gwesela said at the moment the status of those listed stands although he did not confirm their eligibility regards payments.
“After the audit we will remove all those who have not complied with requirements but those whose names are not only the list remain deregistered,” said Gwesela.
He said after the Fifa congress, Zifa will then issue licences to player representatives not agents but that would be on condition on how one would have performed over the last two years.
Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze on Wednesday said failure to regularise one’s standing with the association renders their status invalid.
“I have been in constant communication with our agents and advised them to regularise their policies and standing with the association. For one to be a player agent you need to have a professional liability insurance policy with a reputable company and in the absence of that, your status as an agent falls away,” said Mashingaidze.
According to Fifa player agents regulations, an agent’s licence expires after five years from the date of issue after which the agent shall send a written application to the relevant association to re-sit the examination before the date on which his or her licence is due to expire.
If the players’ agent does not send a written application to re-sit the exam within five years of the date of issue of the licence, his licence shall be automatically suspended.
When quizzed on the number of agents who have had to re-sit their examinations in recent years, Gwesela said he had no memory of the list but said only two candidates wrote their player agent examination in April this year.
“Our last examination was in April when two candidates sat, with one making it while the other did not,” said Gwesela.
Bulawayo’s Innocent Ncube is one of the two who wrote and passed the examination.
The next player agents’ examinations will be written on 26 Februarynext year.
Fifa will send the 15 questions that relate to the international regulations to each of the associations in one of the four official Fifa languages (English, French, Spanish or German).
Each association is required to set five questions of its own on national subjects and such questions shall be set as a multiple choice test while Fifa has the sole authority to set questions relating to international subjects.
All associations are forbidden from setting their own questions relating to international subjects. In the event of any violation in this regard, Fifa will not recognise the examination results from the association concerned, therefore rendering invalid all players’ agents licences that are awarded as a result of the respective examinations.
Contacted for comment, the Zimbabwe Player Agents Association Omega Sibanda said:
“No comment, the newspaper has written the story and I think they are the people to verify the story. What the paper has written cannot be changed, at least for now.”
List of agents’ list according to the Fifa official website.
Fortune Chisale (Harare), Mark Gamanya(Harare), Hatidani Gomba(Harare), Bernard Gwarada(Harare), Phillemon Machana(Harare), Bongani Mafu (Bulawayo), Gibson Mahachi(Harare), Winston Makamure(Harare), Stanley Makombe(Harare), Jimmy Makombe(Harare), Mapeza Kennedy(Harare),Douglas Matizanhau(Harare), Msongelwa Ndlovu(Harare), Martin Nyamupingidza(Harare), Osborn Chiukuseh(Harare), Pedzai Sakupwanya, (Harare)Samson Christopher(Harare), Mutandinga Simunyu(Harare), Ashy Taraboletti(Harare).
Online Reporter