Hope Chizuzu, Sport
HARARE – The Afcon gets into the round of 16 tomorrow and Zimbabwe is back home after limping out in the first round.
They are not the only ones to leave before February 6 – even champions Algeria were booted out.
Yes, Algeria or even Ghana, four times champions are not in Cameroon anymore, but for Zimbabwe it should be eyes on the ball as the Afcon jamboree had the whole nation fixed on the competition.
We still have the small matter of Zifa, whose members of the assembly aka councillors aka Guptas, called for an EGM scheduled for Saturday in Harare to rescue the game.
The EGM, which the trio of Failton Kamambo, whose Ecocashgate court case was moved to next Friday after the magistrate got busy on Tuesday, Phelimon Machana and sex pest, Bryton Malandule, have been fighting to stop, is crucial for the survival of the game.
The suspended members of the executive committee, who are basically the trio who have been intransigent running from pillar to post to force the SRC into a change, have been writing letters to Fifa arguing that the meeting can only be convened by them.
But the same Machana and crew do not tell Fifa that the power they claim, is vested in the same assembly whose members have called for the EGM.
Well, The Page have established that Machana and crew have been working flat out to stop the meeting and have approached three of Harare hotels asking them who has booked for the Zifa EGM.
They are trying to establish who has booked so that they can relay their usual falsehoods to Fifa that it is the SRC.
The SRC have nothing to do with this and please note even if Machana and crew are recalled, the SRC still retain the right on the decision to suspend according to the Act. They are the only one empowered to suspend and lift the same.
Now that Fifa have discovered some of the Zifa falsehoods, they are hard to twist. The same Machana crew have been busy during the AFCON 2021, from which Zimbabwe has since been knocked out, to tell Fifa it was SRC running the show.
They want to find faulty with SRC and up to now, they have failed to nail the SRC because they are doing nothing wrong.
While all these crooks are trying to throw spanners into the works, the members of assembly are busy preparing for the EGM and Xolisani Gwesela, the acting CEO of the FA should do all in his powers to ensure the meeting takes place without incident because the members of Zifa called for the meeting.
Fifa, who received and acknowledged the letter from members of the assembly notifying them of the meeting, have been happy to watch Zifa members doing something according to the constitution.
Fifa members association Chief, Kenny Jean Marie said, “As Fifa we worry about third party interference but as long as members, in compliance with their statutes exercise their rights to meet or act, we will be happy to note.
“It is not our job as Fifa, to micro manage member associations, we only get involved upon invitation and when things are spiraling out of control, so that we avoid situations where football is put into disrepute.
“Members calling for their meeting is normal and the constitution provides for such rights and likewise if members of Zifa, according to their constitution, call for such a meeting, they are free to do so and we acknowledge receipt of one such notice from members of Zifa”.
The members of Zifa must keep their eyes on the ball and not be distracted by Machana, Kamambo and Malandule who have been shrieking from the discomfort of having to be asked to be accountable for their actions.
This is the time for the members of Zifa, we know they have watched, or allowed themselves to be abused by these members of the Exco, to act to save our football. We know a lot of money has been abused.
We know women referees have been abused, we know even male referees have been victimized, we know Covid-19 money has been abused.
We know women football did not receive their money, though off course that is down to Barbara Chikosi being naive.
We know PNA auditors were, without authority of Congress, used to siphon money from Fifa under the guise of retiring debt, yet after receiving USD800k, a lot of creditors like Kalisto Pasuwa’s USD153k still remain unpaid.
Norman Mapeza still remain unpaid. Sunday Chidzambwa still remain unpaid. Rahman Gumbo still remain unpaid. Madinda Ndlovu still remain unpaid.
These are just coaches, there are several others including Lazarus Mhurushomana who have still not been paid despite their debt used to get money from FIFA.
The noise around this meeting must not stop the members from coming together to save our football.
Our biggest problem in football has been this assembly and it is a good thing that now they have realised they have to secure the future of the game.
They have to keep eyes on the ball and for a reason. This is not about Kamambo. We know he is useless. This is not about Malandule. We know he is a sex pest and not fit to hold any public office.
This is not about Machana. We know he is still to account for USD740k, to explain externalization of Cosafa funds in South Africa, flats bought from the same proceeds, the Kensington house, Zifa Pvt Ltd company etc.
But it is about the game. It is about football. It is easy to be swayed by the noise from the likes of the not so smart Chenaimoyo Gumiro, whose legal advice has been devices of plunder (story for another day).
Gwesela should as a matter of urgency ensure all delegates preparations for this meeting are done without compromise.
We know he has challenges with finances as the signatories are those of suspended officials and the finance people at Zifa still take instructions from those ones frozen out of the game.
But he has to pull all stops to have this meeting done. It is not an SRC baby nor a government responsibility. It is a Zifa thing. If the delegates were paid a set amount for such meetings, it must be paid, because they are the football parliament.
Even if all of us feel they are the reason we are in this mess, let us allow them their freedom to meet to fix our football. It is their right. Not even Fifa can stop them.
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