Sports Reporter
DEFIANT ZIFA councillors are refusing to be bullied into submission in their battle to topple the association’s leader, Cuthbert Dube, and have written to chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze for their agenda to be included in the joint congress ordered by FIFA not later than June 16.

The councillors’ decision to remind Mashingaidze of their agenda, about 27 days, at most, before the joint congress is held, is meant to ensure that the chief executive does not leave out their issues when he calls for the meeting as directed by the world football governing body.

They copied their correspondence to the FIFA secretary-general, CAF general secretary and COSAFA general secretary.

There has been concern, among some of the councillors, that one of their key issues — The Way Forward — which gives them the flexibility to take on the leadership, could be dropped from the agenda by a chief executive they believe is fighting in Dube’s corner.

Although the agenda of the ordinary annual general meeting, circulated by Mashingaidze, contains a part where the councillors can discuss dismissals of members, which was meant to trigger the expulsion of the likes of ZIFA vice-president Omega Sibanda and board member (finance) Ben Gwarada, the rebellious Assembly members want their issues included in the joint congress.

They also believe that they should be two meetings – an extraordinary indaba and the annual general meeting – on the same day, and have written to Mashingaidze to ensure that he circulates the agenda of their meeting as directed by FIFA.

The councillors used the item,” The Way Forward”, to revoke Dube’s powers at their meeting on Saturday.

Dube, whom some legal experts claim has been reduced to a lame duck ZIFA president waiting for his final supper with the councillors, not later than June 16, Mashingaidze and board member Tavengwa Hara, are expected to leave soon for Zurich, Switzerland, for the FIFA elective congress.

Reports also indicate they will take their spouses to the congress where FIFA will elect a president for the world football governing body with incumbent Sepp Blatter expected to win by a landslide.

Sibanda, the ZIFA vice-president, has been left out of that trip amid reports last night that he could be kicked out of the ZIFA board for attending the councillors’ meeting in Harare last Saturday.

The purge could also see Gwarada being kicked out, in the first phase of sanctions aimed at bullying those who attended the meeting of the councillors last Saturday into submission.

A ZIFA emergency bBoard meeting on Wednesday recommended that the board members, who attended that meeting of councillors, be kicked out but sources say that such a purge might trigger an all-out war that could destroy the board.

The humiliation by the Warriors last night, at the hands of the Brave Warriors of Namibia, in a COSAFA Cup preliminary round tie, which saw them crashing out of the regional tournament, will raise emotions among the game’s fans who feel their leaders are only concerned with enjoying the luxury provided by such Swiss tours.

The Warriors were the defending COSAFA Cup Champions when Dube took over as ZIFA president in March 2010, having won the regional tournament on home soil with an impressive 3-1 win over Zambia, just five months before the Harare business executive became the leader of domestic football.

But now, five years after Dube became ZIFA president, the Warriors cannot even get past the preliminary round of the COSAFA Cup with their humiliation, at the hands of Namibia, another sad story for them under this leadership.

The Warriors have also failed to qualify for the 2012 and 2013 Nations Cup finals while they were humiliated in the preliminary round of the 2015 Nations Cup qualifiers after being humbled by Tanzania, under Dube’s watch.

Given that sad background, rebellious councillors believe the time has come for them to give the game a new leadership and, despite threats from the ZIFA leadership, they pushed on yesterday with their battle to topple Dube.

They got a significant morale-booster this week when FIFA, in a very rare case, communicated with them directly, and ordered ZIFA that their issues be addressed and their battle forcing the Association to hold a joint congress not later than June 16.

The councillors are not backing down and on Wednesday they reminded Mashingaidze that he has to include their issues on the agenda.

“We write pursuant to the letters received from FIFA dated 18th and 20th of May 2015. We look forward to your notice of the extraordinary congress for the 16th June 2015 (at the latest) as directed by FIFA,” the councillors said in their letter.

“We attach again the agenda for the meeting for ease of reference.

“Could we, therefore, be assured that the two meetings, being the extraordinary and annual general meetings, will be held separately (on the same day) as per the FIFA directive.”

The councillors noted that there appeared to be a witch-hunt underway in domestic football.

“It has been noted that you are in the process of compiling the names of the affiliates who attended the meeting,” they said in their letter.

“We hope it is not with the intention of victimising those members who attended in any way. We look forward to your co-operation on this matter.”

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