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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

FIFA delegates may have opted to keep a tight lid on the outcome of their tour of duty to Zimbabwe, but it has emerged that issues to do with governance dominated their indaba with Premier Soccer League clubs yesterday.

The FIFA officials, led by the word body’s head of development programmes in Africa Solomon Mudege, wind off their week-long visit to the country today.

Yesterday they had an opportunity to interact with governors from the Premiership and those administering Division One Leagues in an afternoon session.

 During yesterday’s discussions at a local hotel, FIFA heard first-hand accounts of the state of the domestic game from the representatives of PSL clubs.

The two-hour meeting was also attended by the PSL chairman Farai Jere, the league’s chief executive officer Kenny Ndebele and members of the ZIFA Normalisation Committee led by Lincoln Mutasa. 

ZIFA chief executive officer Yvonne Manwa said all the engagements were taking place behind closed doors and the association would only issue a Press statement at the conclusion of the six-day tour by the five-member FIFA delegation.

But one of the participants confided in the Zimpapers Sports Hub that the discussions with the FIFA delegation centred more on governance structures and club statutes. 

“I think this was a fruitful meeting,” he said. 

“It was mainly an engagement to get a better understanding of the state of the affairs in the league. 

“The FIFA delegation wanted to hear more on the governance structure at each of the clubs, the clubs’ statutes and how the clubs are run, whether there are elections to choose officials and their terms of offices. 

“They also wanted to know the background of the league and how we ended up having 18 teams from 16. There is also hope for clubs to get assistance from FIFA in the future through grants but it is a process that has to go through ZIFA.”

FIFA on their part, reportedly, also paid tribute to the elite clubs for working hard to sustain the game and managing to stay afloat during the 18 months of Zimbabwe’s suspension from international football.   

Mudege and his crew arrived in the country last Friday and will only wind up their mission today. 

The other members of the touring party are the FIFA Senior Member Association Governance Services Manager Ahmed Harraz, Walter Nyamilandu Manda (FIFA consultant and former president of Football Association of Malawi), CAF Director Member Associations, Sarah Mukuna and CAF Legal Consultant Lyrique Duplessis. 

The main aim of the mission was to take stock of the progress made by the ZIFA Normalisation Committee ahead of the expiry of their one-year mandate in June. 

Manwa said the FIFA delegation was also in the country to assist the Normalisation Committee in revising the ZIFA statutes.

The Normalisation committee, who were part of the indaba yesterday, also gave an update on the constitutional review process and the setting up of the electoral college, which is part of the roadmap to holding elections. 

FIFA hinted the ZIFA constitution should be amended to align with those of the international mother body and the rest of the member associations in the region.

 After meeting with the PSL clubs, it was time to engage with the representatives of the country’s four regions.

Earlier the FIFA delegation also visited the ZIFA Village in Mt. Hampden to meet potential contractors for the refurbishment of the facility. 

As if taking a cue from the FIFA delegation, the Normalisation Committee also refused to comment much on yesterday’s round of meetings.

“These are closed doors engagements and we will be giving out a media statement after the delegation have finished their mission,” said Manwa.

The meetings also brought the Normalisation Committee face to face with the PSL and the regions for the first time since their July 11, 2023 appointment.

The failure by the Normalisation Committee and the key members of the ZIFA assembly to meet and table the reform process has widely been condemned for stalling advancement of the national game.