The Sunday News
THE Sports and Recreation Commission has barred former Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Wilson Manase from holding any position at any national sports association for four years.
Manase is accused of unilaterally approving the senior national cricket team’s tour to Pakistan in May this year.
Manase, a Harare based lawyer who lost the ZC chairman’s post to Bulawayo pharmacist Tavengwa Mukuhlani, is understood to have been charged in his personal capacity since he allegedly made the decision on the visit without consulting the rest of the cricket governing mother body’s board.
Sources close to the SRC said Manase could have even been shown the door had he retained the chairmanship in August this year. Manase became interim ZC chairman following the resignation of long serving boss Peter Chingoka in July last year.
According to the SRC ruling sent to ZC last Wednesday and in possession of this publication, Manase is accused of undertaking an unauthorised tour to Pakistan, an act which was in contravention of section 28 of the SRC general regulations, that is going on a tour that is not given the green light by the supreme sports governing body in the country. The verdict was signed by SRC disciplinary committee chairperson Aisha Tsimba-Nyamwenda.
The ruling states that ZC sought clearance for the tour on 28 April 2015, the request was turned down by SRC on the basis that the visit to the Asian country would put the travelling party to risk given the prevailing security situation in Pakistan.
It is further mentioned that ZC appealed to the SRC to review its position since a consultant engaged by the cricket mother body as well as Pakistan security authorities had given assurances on the safety measures proposed for the matches.
Again the SRC was not convinced and declined the request with its decision communicated on 12 and 14 May which ZC confirmed receiving. However, the ZC went ahead with the tour in spite of the notification that SRC approval had not been granted.
“By your own admission, you confirmed that you personally gave approval for the tour to go ahead in spite of the SRC’s decision and that you did not consult the ZC board on the matter,’’ reads part of the ruling.
ZC, represented by Manase in the hearing tried in mitigation to avoid SRC sanctions as they submitted among other things that had ZC failed to fulfil the assignment, Pakistan would pull out of the Future Tours Programme which would have resulted in Zimbabwe losing valuable game time.
ZC added that with Zimbabwe placed 10th among the 10 Test playing cricket nations the tour would assist in enhancing their chances to improve their position, an argument which SRC said held no water because the visit to Pakistan was made of limited overs only with no prolonged version fixtures.
Another argument brought forward by Manase on behalf of ZC was that all the teams that played in the World Cup had already started preparing for the tournament while Zimbabwe had not and the tour in question would assist in getting Zimbabwe’s preparation started. This again did not convince the SRC considering that the World Cup took place from 14 February to 29 March in Australia and New Zealand.
SRC made it clear that ZC knew of the provisions of the law regarding clearance of sports tours but had knowingly and without due regard for the consequences of their action went ahead to flout the same law. ZC were also given correspondence from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating the country’s official position on the matter in that it was not safe for the team to undertake the tour and they still chose to ignore it.
The SRC said that in the public domain the action by ZC was seen as any open defiance of the sports governing body and would bring sports to disrepute with the likely consequence of a negative impact on the support that the sector received or was likely to get from sponsors or potential financial backers and other stakeholders.
“Also noted was the fact that some of the issues raised in mitigation had not been raised in their justification of the tour at the time of requesting clearance. After considering all the facts of the case and evidence in mitigation and aggravation, the Disciplinary Committee ruled that: Mr Manase be suspended from holding any position in any national sport association as defined in the Sports and Recreation Act for a period of four years. The suspension takes effect from the date of this letter,’’ concludes the SRC ruling.
Zimbabwe became the first International Cricket Council Full Member to tour Pakistan since 2009 when the Sri Lanka team came under gunfire from extremists. Since then no Full ICC member had visited Pakistan with the Asian country forced to stage their home fixtures in the United Arab Emirates.
Early this month, ZC chief executive officer Wilfred Mukondiwa disclosed that the national association did not get any direct financial benefit from the risky tour of Pakistan.
