Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
The committee investigating ZIFA’s operations have said they will be thorough with their inquiry while the Sports Commission reiterated that the country’s football controlling body had become dysfunctional.

The chairman of the four-member committee, Obadiah Moyo, appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Education, Sport, Arts and Culture yesterday and indicated that his team, which includes Farai Kanyangarara, Mirriam Mushayi and Jessie Nyakatawa, will not leave a stone unturned in their task.

The committee was recently put in place by the Sports Commission.

Moyo said they were going to look at governance issues, ZIFA’s electoral processes, general compliance to the association’s constitution, financial crisis at the Association, grassroots development, capacity building of administrative and technical personnel, marketing and FIFA funds.

They were also looking at the challenges currently facing women’s football, clubs and national teams.

Moyo said their mandate was a huge task and they were aiming to release their reports in two stages.

The initial findings are expected on July 31.

The committee was keen to engage a number of stakeholders who include board members, members of the standing committees, former national team players, Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association, Lifelong Footballers Trust, Footballers Union of Zimbabwe, Sports Writers’ Association, NAPS, NASH, registered football academies, the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee and the general public.

“Evidence may be collected orally through interviews and or written through submitted reports. What the committee has done initially is that we are going to start with the general oral public evidence.

“We will start with Harare and Bulawayo, where oral evidence will be given. If need be we will follow up certain presentations by identifying certain stakeholders or individuals for further probe to get more evidence,” said Moyo.

Sports Commission director-general Charles Nhemachena said they were worried that the situation at ZIFA was getting worse despite their numerous interventions to enforce order and the recent visit by the FIFA officials.

The ZIFA crisis took centre stage last month when 14 members, who included board member finance Bernard Gwarada and vice president Omega Sibanda, were suspended.

The Warriors almost failed to fulfil international fixtures in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the Under-23 Championships because of lack of resources. Nhemachena said ZIFA had disregarded advice from the Sports Commission and the Government on how to handle their affairs and the suspension of the game’s leaders was one step too far that could not be tolerated.

Nhemachena yesterday told the committee that the situation at the association was not improving and this has necessitated the setting up of the committee.

The parliamentary committee was worried with the way ZIFA finances were being handled and questioned the rules of engagement between ZIFA and their creditors.

They also wanted to know why properties for individuals like Cuthbert Dube and Gwarada were being attached for debts owed by the association.

Nhemachena said the situation was not in line with the tenets of good governance.

“Over the years we have been engaging with ZIFA and through that engagement we have made it absolutely clear that it was not consistent with good governance practice for individuals to put their own money into football unless they have some kind of sponsorship arrangement which would obviously be formalised through the necessary board approvals.

“We are not sure that these loans by Dube were actually formalised through the board and one of the tasks of this particular committee is to investigate whether indeed those loans are actually bona fide loans and that they were actually applied for the business of the association,” said Nhemachena. The SRC boss indicated they are worried ZIFA had now reached a point where it is now dysfunctional.

He said ZIFA were now the problem child under their wings.

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