The new Zifa board appears to be brewing more confusion at Number 53 Livingstone than their predecessors, given the recent national team coach saga that has raised dust among football lovers in the country. By Our staff
Barely 48 hours after Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda fired the entire Warriors technical department led by coach Kalisto Pasuwa, Zifa president Phillip Chiyangwa yesterday overturned the decision and reinstated the national team gaffer.
Sibanda’s decision drew widespread, outrage from the general public who said it threatened to derail preparations for the African Championships (Chan) set to burst into life in three weeks’ time in Rwanda.
Flexing his muscle from South Africa, Chiyangwa said he had reversed Sibanda’s, decision and reinstated Pasuwa, as had been ordered by Sports minister, Makhosini Hlongwane.
In a statement released by Zifa, Chiyangwa said as the Zifa president, he had reinstated Pasuwa and his entire technical team with immediate effect.
“I have conferred with the vice-president Sibanda and all members of the executive committee. We have agreed that in the interest of the nation and the beautiful game, Pasuwa and his entire technical team be reinstated with immediate effect,” Chiyangwa said.
He said Pasuwa was very successful and undeniably one of the most highly-qualified coaches in the country, and Zifa would give him all the support he needed as he prepared for the 2016 Chan finals.
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“We are very confident that his wonderful exploits will bring success and glory to our football-loving nation,” said Chiyangwa.
The Warriors are expected to troop into camp today with normal training set to resume tomorrow morning.
The forward and backward movement by the new Zifa board appears to indicate confusion in the Chiyangwa-led executive, which took over from the trouble-laden Cuthbert Dube board three weeks ago.
On Friday Hlongwane had called on Chiyangwa to cut short his vacation in South Africa and come back home to address the Pasuwa saga.
Chiyangwa responded to Hlongwane by sending his committee member and high performance technical committee chairman Edzai Kasinauyo to meet Pasuwa and his handlers yesterday.
Only last week, the board was fighting running battles with Twine Phiri over his membership to the Zifa board.
Phiri is the Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman and should be the PSL representative in the Zifa board.
The board had demanded that PSL hold elections to choose a new PSL boss who would be recommended to the new Zifa board.
CAPS United and PSL stood by Phiri, with both writing to Zifa confirming that Phiri was still the CAPS United and PSL chairman.
The Pasuwa saga is said to have started when Sibanda met with Pasuwa last week where he is said to have tried to impose Wellington Mupandare to the technical team to work with Pasuwa as team manager.
It is believed that Pasuwa rejected the appointment, which irked Sibanda and the two exchanged harsh words. Asked to comment on the development Chiyangwa told Standardsport that the technical team was going to work as before and no new additions would be made.
“We have not talked to anyone, we had not contracted anyone, so for progress, I think we need to move for the good of the game, bearing in mind that the Chan competitions are just by the corner,” Chiyangwa said.
A close look at events that have been panning out appear to indicate an allegation of conflict of interest as the factor behind the problem. Members of the board are said to have accused Pasuwa’s manager, Gibson Mahachi of having too much influence in the Warriors camp.
During his press conference at Zifa House on Friday Sibanda said Mahachi had been influential in a number of things that were happening in the Warriors camp.
“He manages the coach and I am told there are 16 players that he manages that are in camp. Then what will stop him from influencing the coach’s decision in such a situation?
“Apart from that, it is him Pasuwa who called and said he had no team manager, hence the board recommended Wellington Mupandare to that position and that is one of the reasons why he decided to quit, arguing that we are imposing people on him,” Sibanda said.
Contacted for comment Mahachi was diplomatic.
“I think we have a serious problem here. I am not going to say much,” he said.
“I will release my statement next week responding to allegations that people have been levelling against me. To tell the truth, I manage Pasuwa yes, but I only have four players that are in camp with the rest of the team, not 16. As far as I am concerned, I have Knox Mutizwa, Gerald Takwara, Brian Muzondiwa and Tatenda Mukuruva who are in camp, so where is the number 16 coming from?,” Mahachi asked.
He added, “I know some of the people who happen to be on my throat are player agents, so there is nothing sinister here. Somebody is trying to pull me down.”
Meanwhile, there were concerns from football lovers that the Sports minister’s call for Zifa to bring back Pasuwa could be viewed by Fifa as government interference and cost the country.
Zimbabwe missed out on 2018 World Cup qualifiers over a debt owed to former Warriors coach Brazilian-born Valinhos.
