The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
ZIFA has engaged its affiliates to find out the impact of the Covid-19 crisis in a bid to come up with a comprehensive response to the pandemic.
Zifa acting vice-president and board member finance, Philemon Machana said they had written to their affiliates asking them to elaborate on the impact the pandemic is having on their members as they look at coming up with proper responses to addressing the crisis that has seen the country’s football season being put on hold.
He said they were engaging various partners whom they hope would come on board and provide the appropriate assistance needed by the affiliates.
Machana said they have been in conversation with regional compatriots, continental football mother body, Caf and world governing body Fifa, on how they could ease the impact of the virus on the sport.
“Four days ago, we wrote to our affiliates asking how the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have affected them as we seek a comprehensive response that will ease the burden on them and their clubs. There are various ways clubs could have been impacted and this include loss of income as income from revenue streams such as gate takings dry up, some sponsorships may be halted while expenses such as salaries, rentals might still be in place,” he said.
Machana said affiliates and clubs had already incurred pre-season expenses which they are likely to pay for again when the season starts and they would not be able to recover that money from the normal revenue streams.
“It is the same with us as Zifa, we already had the Chan team in camp and the U-20 Mighty Warriors were already close to a month in training and had bore expenses relating to that but when the games are re-fixtured we have to bear the same expenses again,” he said.
Machana said the correspondence from their affiliates will determine how their continue conversations with their partners on the shape the assistance they will dole out will take. He said the recent financial package announced by Fifa that would be released to associations was not part of a Covid-19 bailout fund but meant to meet the “normal operational budgets”.
Machana said it was money due to them although it was supposed to be doled out in June but Fifa decided to release the funds early due to the pandemic. Fifa will distribute US$150 million to member associations over the next few days as support for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Zifa, and 210 other associations are earmarked to get US$500 000 each from Fifa, the world body revealed in a statement on Friday. The payment is the second instalment of operational costs for 2020 which was due to be handed out in July, but Fifa will make an early payment.
“It is just an early payment of the normal operational funds that we should have received in July and not an additional fund to fight Covid-19. It will not be directed to affiliates or clubs but if we feel there is a surplus that can go to assisting them then we can engage Fifa and request permission to divert the funds to other uses other than the intended ones,” he said.
