Zifa elections: The circus continues

Sport
The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) is now facing the full complement of all aspiring office bearers who were disqualified from taking part in the December 1 elections after Mlungisi Moyo threatened to take the association to court.

The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) is now facing the full complement of all aspiring office bearers who were disqualified from taking part in the December 1 elections after Mlungisi Moyo threatened to take the association to court.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

Moyo, who wanted to contest for a committee member’s position, was along with Felton Kamambo and Gift Banda disqualified by the Zifa electoral committee. The reason for his disqualification was that he was improperly nominated.

He appealed on November 5 and unlike Kamambo and Banda whose appeals were immediately dismissed, Moyo was yet to receive any communication from Zifa by Thursday evening.

In a letter addressed to Zifa Ceo Joseph Mamutse, Moyo highlighted that he had filed his appeal and paid $1 000 appeal fee, but the association was yet to respond to his appeal let alone acknowledge the payment.

Moyo also demanded the date, venue and time of appeals hearing as well as “documents” he requested in his appeal.

“Should I not get a response from your office by close of business tomorrow [Friday], I will have no option but to the approach the courts for redress,” read the last part of Moyo’s letter.

The Zifa election saga is slowly degenerating into one big mess after it emerged during the week that Zifa president Phillip Chiyangwa’s camp allegedly offered $15 000 to a Black Rhinos and Mighty warriors player for her to falsely accuse Kamambo of rape.

A source who spoke to our sister paper, NewsDay, revealed that the player in question refused to be part of the entrapment and alerted her employers, the Zimbabwe National Army, who have also threatened further action against Zifa.

Zifa has continued to frustrate the trio who were barred from contesting in the upcoming elections.

Ex-Zifa Southern Region boss Banda, who wanted to contest for the vice-president’s post against the incumbent Omega Sibanda, has written to Fifa and is waiting for the world football governing body to act.

“Fifa have not yet responded and I am waiting for their correspondence so that I can take the next course of action,” Banda told Standardsport.

“If Fifa is not helpful in this matter, I will look for other avenues because what we are really fighting for is for Zifa to obey its own constitution, the Sports and Recreation Commission’s constitution as well as the Fifa constitution.

“There is no way they can take my $4 200 and then deny me the chance to exercise my right. They should just allow the elections to go on and at least rig the elections so that people can give them the benefit of doubt instead of what they are trying to do. I wonder what they are hiding by clinging on to power through dirty means.”

Banda was disqualified on the grounds that he was improperly nominated, that he was still undergoing rehabilitation having been previously suspended and also that he did not pass the integrity test.

Zifa electoral committee chairman Vusiliswe Vuma refused to comment on the matter when this publication contacted him.

“I am sorry I can’t comment on this matter. I have to allow the due processes to be completed,” he said.