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Sports Reporter
ZIFA are set to intensify their engagements with the Sports and Recreation Commission and FIFA in their quest to bring a quick resolution to the impasse that has left Zimbabwean football ostracised.
The association held an Emergency General Meeting on Saturday where the ZIFA Congress, which is the association’s highest decision-making body, passed a resolution to extend the leadership’s life by another year.
The tenure of the current ZIFA leadership was supposed to end next month. ZIFA president Gift Banda revealed after the meeting that they would need to move with speed, beginning with an annual general meeting to be convened before the end of the year.
They also want to reach out to both FIFA and the Sports and Recreation Commission to get endorsement and expedite the return to international football.
Banda also confirmed that elections to choose a substantive ZIFA board will now be held in December next year. The Congress resolved to work on some outstanding reforms and follow a constitutional roadmap to the polls.
The electoral committee is expected to be put in place at the AGM, to be held in the next two months. The AGM could not be held for two years in 2020 and 2021.
“We held our EGM where we were given an extension on our term, which was meant to expire on December 18 this year, to December next year; to have held our elections by then.
“The Congress also resolved we needed to have an AGM before the end of the year which will put in place the electoral committee which is going to run our elections next year.
“We resolved to continuously engage SRC and FIFA to find common ground so that our suspension (from the international game) can be lifted.
“Because we all agreed that the impasse is not between FIFA and ZIFA, but it is between SRC and FIFA, so it was resolved that we continuously engage FIFA and SRC to find common ground so that we come back to football as soon as possible.
“It was also agreed that the quickest way of resolving this impasse is for us to start preparing for the elections and inviting FIFA to come in and guide us on the roadmap towards our elections,” said Banda.
The ZIFA Congress was meeting for the first time since April 23 when the decision to recall former president Felton Kamambo and fellow board members Philemon Machana and Bryton Malandule was taken.
The EGM on Saturday was a success after 45 of the 60 councillors turned up.
Banda indicated that ZIFA are also in the process of reviewing their constitution with a view to making some amendments before the elections.
The amended constitution, once approved by Congress and FIFA, will guide the election process.
Some of the input on recommendations on the amendments is expected from the restructuring committee set up by the Sports Commission.
“Any constitutional changes we are going to do have to be approved by FIFA first, so that is why it is our hope that we will be engaging FIFA to come in and be part of the roadmap that will lead to the elections.
“This is because we can’t do any election without FIFA, otherwise it will be a nullity.”
Zimbabwe was suspended from international football by FIFA in February due to third-party interference. This was after SRC suspended Felton Kamambo’s board on November 16 last year.
The SRC has since put in place an independent ZIFA Restructuring Committee to look into challenges of football administration and proffer recommendations.
They have also tasked a local firm to conduct a forensic audit, whose draft report recently leaked via social media platforms.
The ZIFA Congress could not discuss the document since the Sports Commission are yet to hand over an official draft addressed to ZIFA.
“We haven’t received the forensic audit because it is not really addressed to us. It is addressed to the Restructuring Committee and the SRC; up to now we haven’t received that report.
“We await to get the report from the SRC and we will discuss it once it is in our hands,” Banda noted.
Online Reporter