Zim football waits on FIFA

Grace Chingoma-Senior Sports Reporter

FIFA is expected this week to give an update on the Zimbabwean football situation on the back of meetings they held with various stakeholders last month in the country. 

The report was expected to come out early this month. 

However, it was delayed and reliable sources have confirmed that before the week ends the governing body should have communicated in relation to their visit. 

A delegation from FIFA comprising FIFA senior member association’s governance manager Sarah Solemale, FIFA head of development programmes in Africa Solomon Mudege, CAF director of member associations Sarah Mukuna and COSAFA president Artur de Almedida de Silva spent the week getting an appreciation of the situation obtaining in the domestic game. 

They met with the Sports and Recreation Commission, the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe, the Women’s League and the ZIFA board. The organisations made their presentations to the FIFA delegation regarding the football situation in the country. 

Zimbabwe was expecting to get a report from these meetings at the start of this month. But up to now, the world football governing body are yet to make public their position from the information they gathered. 

Although the meetings were closed to the media, sources close to the ongoings said the FIFA emissaries came face to face with the uniquely awkward situation in Zimbabwean football and the extent of how broken the relationship between Felton Kamambo leadership and Congress had become, making it untenable for their reinstatement. 

The stakeholders also highlighted that the term of office for the fired executive members, as well as the Congress, had expired making the FIFA condition to reinstate them awkward. 

These are some of the concerns that are expected to be addressed by FIFA in their communication. 

FIFA promised to get back through some correspondence at the beginning of this month. But it has emerged that the world governing body might be ready to communicate on the engagements they had last month. 

It was the first time the Zurich-based organisation sent officials here since Zimbabwe was suspended from international football last year in February. 

So the interaction by the FIFA officials and the subsequent communication, which is imminent, is likely to pave the way on how the ZIFA impasse would be resolved. 

FIFA officials also made it clear during the consultations with the stakeholders that the FIFA position on how to have Zimbabwe’s suspension lifted was clear, that is the reinstatement of the suspended ZIFA board, which now is non-existent, according to the statutes. 

Zimbabweans will be waiting with bated breath to see how FIFA will move forward. However, effective communication which might be crucial in resolving the ZIFA impasse is expected this week. 

Reliable sources said FIFA were keen on a way forward to resolve the impasse that has been choking the game for the past 15 months. 

“FIFA had promised to come back at the start of this month but they never did. But they are now expected to communicate something by the end of this week,” said the source. 

Both the Sports Commission and ZIFA could not be drawn yesterday to comment on the imminent FIFA correspondence. 

After the departure of the FIFA delegation last month, SRC said the engagements had brought hope to local football. 

“A common sentiment among stakeholders was the need for strong, lawful governance structures to support Zimbabwe’s return to international football, as well as a commitment to implementing necessary reforms for the sports’ future development and success in the country. 

“The SRC has also been involved in productive discussions with FIFA, CAF, including COSAFA with a mutual goal of resolving the issues surrounding the ZIFA. 

“The conversations have been marked by good faith from all parties and a genuine interest in advancing solutions. 

“The outcomes of these discussions have been promising, with the SRC, CAF and FIFA generally agreeing on the next step to address ZIFA’s current situation,” read the statement. 

Zimbabwe’s membership rights at FIFA were suspended last year in February after the world football governing body ruled that the intervention by the Sports Commission to suspend the ZIFA board pending investigations into various allegations of corruption and mismanagement constituted third-party interference. 

The ZIFA board was suspended in November 2021 and three months later FIFA descended on Zimbabwe. Some members of the suspended board led by Kamambo were later kicked out of football via a vote of no confidence.