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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter

THE suspended ZIFA board members, led by Felton Kamambo, have been summoned by disgruntled ZIFA councillors to be part of the highly-anticipated special Extraordinary General Meeting that is expected to generate internal solutions to the problems bedevilling domestic football.

The indaba, set for April 23 in Harare, is also expected to seal the fate of the suspended board members who are facing an internal revolt for allegedly running down the game in the country due to poor administration.

The councillors are not happy the game has been deteriorating over the years and they need to get to the bottom of why Zimbabwe was suspended from FIFA, for the first time since Independence, under the watch of Kamambo’s leadership.

The determined ZIFA councillors have now set the stage for their highly-anticipated EGM after the congress’ representatives sent out notices for the indaba in line with recommendations they received from FIFA.

The councillors had initially shelved their plans to hold the EGM after FIFA indicated that there was need to follow the constitutional process and give the due 90-day-notice.

FIFA then suggested to the councillors that they had to wait for April 3 before circulating notices of the meeting at which members of the suspended Kamambo ZIFA board face revocation.

Northern Region chairman, Martin Kweza, who has been mandated by the councillors to lead their bid to hold the meeting, also reminded the ZIFA members that the EGM had originally been scheduled for January before being shelved at the recommendation that came from Zurich (FIFA headquarters).

The members of the ZIFA board, who are currently serving a suspension imposed by the Sports and Recreation Commission last November, have also been served with the notice of the meeting and they got individual invitations to attend.

The notice of the meeting was also copied to the ZIFA secretariat, Sports Commission, CAF and FIFA.

“Your attention is drawn to the above subject. You may all recall that on 3 January 2022, ZIFA Assembly members requested for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in line with Article 28 of the ZIFA constitution,” Kweza wrote in the notice.

“Since that constitutional request, 90 days have now passed without the ZIFA Executive Committee calling for the EGM as expected.

“In terms of Article 28(2), if an extraordinary congress is not convened within three months, the members who requested it may convene the congress themselves.’’

According to Kweza such members like the PSL clubs, Eastern Region and Northern Region will fund the indaba.

“It is upon this background that all members of the ZIFA congress are now invited to the extraordinary general congress to be held on 23 April 2022. The venue and time are highlighted on the attached agenda.

“Please be advised that the members who signed the request for this meeting and are now convening it, shall take care of the usual logistics, which include transport refunds, food and accommodation for those coming from outside Harare,’’ he said.

But there is no doubt that the focus of attention will be on two major items listed as number 6 and 7 on the agenda.

This includes the charge sheet that will be laid out to Kamambo and his suspended board as well as the proposal to recall those board members found to have been guilty in terms of the charge sheet.

Part of the agenda reads: “6. Laying of charges against the ZIFA executive committee members.

“7 WAY FORWARD: i. Revocation of one or more members of the executive committee in terms of Article 22(m) of ZIFA Statutes if found in breach of the statutes. ii. Co-option of members if any.’’

With the charge sheet not yet made public, it has, however, remained a matter of speculation on who among the board could be revoked although sources close to the goings-on at ZIFA have indicated that the three main protagonists at the association — Kamambo, board member finance Philemon Machana and Bryton Malandule, the board member for development — face the chop.

Malandule is already facing charges of allegedly abusing female referees and the matter is already before both the police and FIFA.

Kweza said the meeting procedure was in strict adherence to the ZIFA constitution as well as the advice they got from FIFA.

According to the ZIFA constitution, Article 28, which deals with the extraordinary congress, it stipulates that:

• The executive committee may convene the extraordinary congress.
• The executive committee shall convene an extraordinary congress if one third of the members of ZIFA (congress) make such a request in writing.  The request shall specify the items for the agenda. An extraordinary congress shall be held, within three months of receipt, of the request.  If an extraordinary congress is not convened, the members who requested it may convene the congress themselves. As a last resort, the members may request assistance from CAF or FIFA.
• The members shall be notified of the place, date and agenda, at least 14 days, before the date of the extraordinary congress.