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. . . Phiri distances himself from ruthless Zifa purge

Twine Phiri

Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
PREMIER Soccer League chairman Twine Phiri has become the first ZIFA board member to distance himself from the brutal purge in which the country’s under-fire football controlling body suspended 14 councillors, including the association’s vice president Omega Sibanda.

The purge has also claimed the scalps of about a dozen top officials of the ZIFA Regions, who run the four Division One leagues, throwing the administration of the nation’s second-tier leagues into disarray halfway into their seasons.

It has been condemned by the Sports Commission, who reacted angrily to the suspensions with a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday, saying the madness at ZIFA had reached crisis point and was now a threat to national interests.

There is a strong possibility that the ZIFA Board could be dissolved by the Sports Commission following the controversial suspension of the 14 councillors, with the commission’s director-general Charles Nhemachena blasting the football leadership for drifting away from their mandate to develop the national game.

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the Sports Commission were empowered to deal with ZIFA in the event of a crisis before the Government intervenes.

Phiri has been named as one of ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube’s blue-eyed boys, who triggered the suspension of the councillors in retaliation for their decision to either organise or attend an Extraordinary Meeting of the association in Harare on May 16 where Dube’s mandate, to lead domestic football, was revoked.

However, Dube got a reprieve when FIFA ruled that there were some procedural flaws in the way that indaba was conducted and asked the rebellious councillors and the ZIFA leadership to hold a Joint Congress on or before June 16 this year. The world football governing body even went against tradition by communicating directly with the councillors, instead of the usual format of dealing only with the association’s president or general secretary, as FIFA acknowledged the crisis engulfing Zimbabwe football and unveiled a roadmap for the resolution of the saga.

But while FIFA have been accommodative of the councillors, including insisting that their issues — which were tabled at the Extraordinary Meeting on May 16 — have to be discussed at the next ZIFA Assembly Meeting, the local football leaders decided to take a ruthless approach in dealing with the dissent in their camp.

Phiri, who has been a ZIFA board member by virtue of being the PSL leader for the last five years, says he didn’t take part in the process to suspend the 14 ZIFA councillors on Monday even though he attended the meeting.

“I attended the meeting but I did not take part in whatever happened on the day, I arrived there (at the ZIFA Village) late as I was outside the capital and by the time I got there the expulsions had already been made,” said Phiri.

“It is unfortunate that I am being labeled to be part of the people who endorsed the suspensions.”

A statement posted on the ZIFA website on Tuesday suggested that Phiri was part of the process to suspend the other councillors. “The ZIFA Board convened for a meeting at the ZIFA Village and Conference Centre on June 15 in the presence of ALL board members including the Acting Chairperson of Women Football Elizabeth Langa, the association’s lawyer Raphael Maganga and the General Secretary Jonathan Mashingaidze,” said the statement.

“Items on the agenda for the board meeting were — 1) Suspensions; 2) FIFA mission updates; 3) National teams; 4) 2015 ZIFA AGM. The board resolved to provisionally suspend councillors who were attending illegal meetings and were working towards making football ungovernable. The suspensions which took effect as of Monday 15 June 2015 were effected in terms of Article 34(n) of the ZIFA constitution.”

Phiri’s decision to speak out comes on the day the Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association challenged the domestic Premiership to rise and fight the ZIFA cabal that was instilling fear in the game’s structures.

“It’s bad and unfortunate when (16) Governors of the PSL (who are all ZIFA Councillors) choose, connive and conspire to deceive at a time when leadership is demanded and expected from them,” ZNSSA secretary-general, Wellington Mpandare, said in a statement.

“The PSL needs to show leadership, they need to stand up and be counted, it is time these Governors come to the party and defend the heart and soul of football.

“For the Councillors, especially these 16 PSL Governors to remain quiet at a time when this football nation is at the crossroads, is almost treasonous. For the 16 Governors to decide collectively to swallow their elected voices and whistles is a travesty of justice.

“These are the same men who used to clamour for and cry to be part of the ZIFA Council. The Constitution was amended so that they could be accommodated and, rightly so, but they have conspired to let down the millions of Zimbabwean football followers by choosing to remain quiet.

“We call on all Councillors, especially these 16 men, to reflect on their relevance to Zimbabwean football and to make the right choice – to stand up and be counted.”

The chaos in domestic football leadership, triggered by the suspensions, has attracted the attention of some of the game’s legends in the Diaspora, including Mbwando, who is based in Germany.

Yesterday, former Zimbabwe international, George Mbwando, criticised both the Councillors and Dube and urged the ZIFA president latter to step down and save domestic football.

“Perhaps it’s not diplomatic for me to post this but enough is enough,” said Mbwando, who was a member of the trailblazing Warriors who made history by representing the country at the Nations Cup finals for the first time in Tunisia in 2004.

“It’s surprising that the same ZIFA Councillors who voted Mr Dube into office in March (last year) are the ones who want him out now after a couple of months later – confusing.

“You can’t remove a guy like that if you are organised and if you know what you want. I think Cuthbert is enjoying playing Robin Hood with the whole nation when it comes to our football.

“He doesn’t care about football at all, please go back from wherever you came from, people want their game back. Ehe, ndini ndazvitaura.”

On Monday, the ZIFA Board suspended 14 Councillors, accusing them of allegedly bringing football into disrepute by either organising or attending that meeting last month, in what analysts say is a deliberate attempt to crush those opposed to the way Dube has been running the national game.

Dube and his chief executive, Jonathan Mashingaidze, want to make sure that by the time that a Joint Congress is held, those occupying positions of influence in the Regions, will be stooges who won’t question the way the national game is being led.