The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) is adamant that the recent decision to suspend Zifa CEO Joseph Mamutse from all forms of football administration cannot be interpreted as government interference in football matters.
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
The SRC on Thursday suspended Mamutse and the commission’s director-general Prince Mupazviriho over their handling of recent external tours by football teams representing Zimbabwe at various age and gender groups.
This came in the wake of the SRC barring the Zimbabwe Under-20 men’s team from travelling for the Cosafa competition on the grounds that Zifa failed to abide by the set regulations for sports tours outside the country.
It emerged that national teams, including the Mighty Warriors, the Under-17 girls and their male counterparts, travelled for the Cosafa tournament without the necessary approval from the Sports and Health ministries.
There is genuine concern that the action of the SRC may stir the ire of Fifa, who traditionally have a hard stance against what they interpret as government interference in football.
“The cry of ‘government interference’ is a tired excuse from indolent or insidious thought processes. We know what we are doing and why we are doing it and at the end of the day international bodies to which some of our sports associations are affiliated will benefit directly and indirectly from the corrective actions we undertake,” SRC board chairman Gerald Mlotshwa told Standardsport in an exclusive interview.
“The SRC invoked section 30 of the SRC Act. It will not be replacing the SG of Zifa. That is for the Zifa board to consider or await the outcome of the SRC’s investigations relating to the suspended secretary-general.
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“The actions of the SRC are lawful and proper. We can’t sit back and watch the law, especially health protocols in this Covid-19 environment, being flouted.
“We can’t sit back and wish away the sad fact that a whole national team was disqualified from a tournament.
“The SRC is not ‘government’ by any stretch of the imagination. “We are a statutory body whose functions and powers are clearly embodied in legislation to that effect,” Mlothswa added.
Article 17 of the Fifa regulations [2] stipulates that:
“Each member shall manage its affairs independently and with no influence from third parties.”
And according to Fifa, third parties refers to non-football bodies or persons who intervene in football matters, especially those who are not bound by Fifa regulations.
It appears that the SRC, which is the overall statutory sports governing body in the country, was also reacting to the disqualification of the national Under-17 team from Cosafa for alleged age cheating last week.
The SRC has since communicated its position to Fifa.
“Fifa are copied in the correspondence suspending the general secretary of Zifa setting out the reasons therefore — they should receive it on Monday morning [tomorrow].
“One must never be afraid to make the correct decision in any given circumstance and equally one should be prepared to deal with and assume responsibility for the consequences of any such decision. As I have indicated, we have acted correctly and legally; and we will, as SRC, stand by that,” Mlotshwa said.
The current SRC board has adopted a zero tolerance approach to corruption and maladministration, and has not hesitated to crack the whip where it deems necessary.
Last year the SRC requested for Fifa to appoint a normalisation committee for the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) over allegations of financial mismanagement.
The latest move by the SRC has raised speculation of a vendetta against Zifa.
“As I have said before, we have a vendetta against corruption and maladministration in sport. “There can be no better demonstration of this than the fact that we have suspended our own DG.
“It must never be viewed from a personal or other perspective. “It becomes a distraction. We have stated our reasons for acting in all instances and none of those are personal,” Mlotshwa said.
Zifa insist that they are yet to receive official communication from the SRC on the suspension of their general secretary save for media reports.
