The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
ZIFA Southern Region clubs are set to get a huge chunk of the bailout package that the national association advanced to the affiliate.
Southern Region chairman, Andrew Tapela said clubs are going to be the biggest beneficiaries although he declined to reveal the agreed figures. The executive met yesterday morning to deliberate on the $1,6 million (US$25 000) fund the region is set to receive from the national football governing body.
“We met this morning through conference call and deliberated on the funds that have been allocated to us by the mother body and we agreed on the distribution plan. We are going to unpack the plan to our affiliates in a meeting during the week and that is when we can make the figures public but clubs are getting a bigger chunk of the funds as we would want to see them up and running once football resumes. The clubs are the region hence it is natural they get the bigger share and are able to play the game once the sport resumes,” said Tapela.
He said they would, however, not prescribe how clubs will spend the money as each club would have different needs although underscored, they will demand accountability and transparency. The funds would be deposited into club accounts as opposed to personal accounts as part of the accountability process.
Tapela said some of the funds will go towards administration expenses such as paying office staff and buying office sundries.
He added they would be lining up a number of workshops that include but not limited to medical aspects of the game to ensure all clubs are ready to meet the resumption obligations.
“We have to prepare for the return of the game and we are certainly going to bear some of the costs to lighten the burden on clubs. There will be a need to hold medical workshops in light of the Covid-19 pandemic as we prepare to return to the field and ensure we minimise chances of spreading the diseases as much as possible,” he said.
