The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Minister of Sport and Recreation, Makhosini Hlongwane, has pronounced that the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) is still in existence with steps being undertaken to address the issue of last month’s dissolution.
Addressing the media at a Bulawayo hotel yesterday morning, Hlongwane said they were in agreement with the Philip Chiyangwa-led Zifa board that the 4 June process was not within the Zifa statutes, something that Fifa has also alluded to in their communication to both Zifa and the Sports and Recreation Commission. In his entire statement, Hlongwane remained silent on the National Football Association of Zimbabwe (Nafaz) which was supposedly born out of the dissolution of Zifa.
Hlongwane pointed out that since 4 June, they have consistently engaged Zifa with the last meeting being last Monday where he met Chiyangwa and board member Philemon Machana where it was agreed that the dissolution should be done within the football mother body’s statutes. Subsequently, Zifa is expected to hold a meeting on 9 July to regularise the dissolution process.
“We have consistently engaged Zifa during this entire period, holding several meetings together with the view of ironing out the issues, we have also kept Fifa in the loop in respect of that very important discussion.
“On the 20th of June we had our meeting with the Zifa president (Philip Chiyangwa) and his executive responsible for finance to again further press home that there was a need for Zifa to be dissolved properly and according to its own statues as advised by two Fifa letters that have insisted as well that Zifa should be dissolved according to its own statues.
“I am glad to report that we are in agreement with Zifa that there is a need to regularise the position of dissolution and I am happy also to make the announcement that Zifa has started to take concrete steps to regularise that position and I know that in the month of July they are going to be meeting to have a discussion around the whole matter or whole question of dissolution so that matter was agreed and concrete steps have already been taken by Zifa to regularise the position around dissolution and we are very happy we are working together with Zifa on that in respect of that particular matter,’’ said Hlongwane.
The Minister also mentioned that an agreement has been reached that all the national teams should be registered under Zifa when they are going to participate in international competitions.
“We also agreed that all ompetitions, international, regional and or so on, you will recall that these include the participation of the Mighty Warriors in the International Olympic Committee Summer Games in Rio, our qualification to Afcon which is a Caf competition as well as the same competition for women football, we have agreed that all registration to Fifa in respect of these competition should be done by Zifa and it is my hope that Zifa has proceeded to do so as agreed.
“It is also a matter of fact that Zifa has not yet been de-registered by the SRC and therefore I felt that we need to calm the nerves, Zifa, the SRC and Government are working together to resolve these matters and we have not wanted these matters to be a matter for public spectacle, we have decided to take a route that is shy or media shy obviously realising that we have gone three full weeks of uncertainty within the media fraternity including the football stakeholders in the country,’’ he said.
“It is important to understand that not only are we working together; the tripartite of Government, SRC and Zifa, we are also very cognisant of the importance of Fifa in these matters, Fifa has been clear in their correspondences to both Zifa and Fifa to the effect that Zifa statutes should be followed as well as Zimbabwean laws should be followed in terms of the dissolution process and we are working very hard to make sure that we are compliant as far as that important area is concerned,’’ he added.
Hlongwane said he could not speak on the court process where Zifa have voluntarily applied to the High Court for voluntary sequestration. He maintained that while Zifa want to be dissolved, that must be done within its statutes.
Zifa is scheduled to meet soon to continue work on the dissolution of the association.
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