The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
THE Zifa Assembly is set to deliberate on constitutional changes that had been proposed by the Southern Region but were stalled by world football body, Fifa who requested to assess the amendments.
According to a source at Zifa, Fifa reportedly gave the green light for most of the proposed changes but they would have to be ratified by the Assembly for them to become effective.
Fifa sought to assess the amendments to check if they were compatible with the world football governing body’s statutes.
Southern Region chairman Musa Mandaza confirmed Fifa had agreed to the majority of their proposals but could not go into detail.
The changes had been set to be debated at the last Zifa Assembly meeting held on 29 October but were removed from the agenda following Fifa’s request.
Mandaza said they will be presenting them again to the Assembly following advice proffered by Fifa for deliberation and approval at the next meeting whose date is yet to be set.
“Yes, Fifa’s response was positive to most of the proposals we had proposed but that does not mean they automatically go into effect, the assembly has to discuss them and accept or reject them.
“Unfortunately, at the moment I cannot divulge what was accepted and what was rejected,” he said.
The proposed changes attracted widespread outrage within the football community as some felt the changes were detrimental to the development of football.
The highlight of the changes was the proposed reduction of PSL representation at the Zifa congress from the current 16 to just four, a decision which adopted would go against earlier Fifa recommendations and regional FA assembly compositions.
The document was signed by Zifa Southern Region board member Tumediso Mokoena Ndlovu, acting Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province chairman Francis Ntuta and Zifa Matabeleland North chairman Dennis Tshuma.
The move, according to the document, is aimed at maintaining a “balance of power within the congress”.
In 2013, the Zifa assembly ratified a clause which increased the number of PSL representatives at congresses from six to 16, meaning each topflight team was represented in the Zifa assembly, which was expanded to 62.
Besides changes affecting PSL, the Southern Region also wants the Zifa headquarters to be moved to 160 Enterprise Road, Harare, at a property owned by Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa.
Zifa’s offices at 53 Livingstone Avenue have been under lock and key for some unknown reasons and they also want regional chairpersons back in the Zifa board after their automatic seats were abolished by the 2013 constitution that reduced the size of the executive committee to eight.
The Southern Region also wants an annulment of the two-term limit for the Zifa president and board, a clause they said is discriminatory.
The Southern Region is also proposing that the vice-president of the association be part of the emergency committee, arguing that he is part of the presidium and should always be part of decisions the emergency committee makes.
At present, the emergency committee has the association’s president, board member finance and two other members of the executive.
