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Eddie Chikamhi

Senior Sports Reporter

THE night has been long and uncomfortable but signs of the first light are beginning to show over Zimbabwean football following a week of deliberations between the local stakeholders and a delegation from FIFA.

Zimbabwe has been suspended from international football for over a year because of a myriad of administrative challenges.
But after a long standoff, that has been made worse by the toxic environment, the visot by the FIFA delegation this week has helped thaw the ice.

For the first time in several months the ZIFA board that was elected in 2018 sat under one roof  and made their deliberations with the FIFA emissaries.

This was one of a series of meetings held with the football stakeholders this week.

FIFA senior member associations governance manager Sarah Solemale and FIFA head of development programmes in Africa Solomon Mudege — a Zimbabwean based at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich — have held marathon meetings with football stakeholders since they arrived in the country early this week.

They were later joined by CAF director of member associations Sarah Mukuna and COSAFA president Artur de Almeida de Silva were also expected yesterday along with Football Association of Malawi president Walter Nyamilandu and Botswana Football Federation president Maclean Letshwiti.

The Sport and Recreation Commission yesterday said in a statement that tge engagements have brought hope for Zimbabwean football. 

“The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) wishes to inform the public that in response to an invitation, representatives from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) arrived in Zimbabwe for a fact-finding mission, which commenced on the week of April 17th, 2023,”  said the Sports Commission in a statement yesterday.

“Throughout the week, FIFA and CAF engaged with various stakeholders and officials involved in Zimbabwean football to gather their perspectives.

“A common sentiment among these stakeholders was the need for strong, lawful governance structures to support Zimbabwe’s return to international football, as well as a commitment to implementing necessary reforms for the sport’s future development and success in the country.

“The SRC has also been involved in productive discussions with FIFA and CAF, including COSAFA, with a mutual goal of resolving the issues surrounding the Zimbabwe Football Association. 

“The conversations have been marked by good faith from all parties and a genuine interest in advancing solutions.”

Zimbabwe’s membership rights at FIFA were suspended last year in February after the world football governing body ruled that the intervention by the Sports Commission to suspend the ZIFA board pending investigations into various allegations of corruption and mismanagement constituted third party interference.

The ZIFA board was suspended in November 2021 and three months later FIFA descended on Zimbabwe.
Some members of the suspended board led by Felton Kamambo were later kicked out of football via a vote of no confidence.

ZIFA also face a constitutional crisis as the Congress and the board’s four-year term expired last year.

Currently, a lot of toxicity currently permeates the landscape. But the Sports Commission said they have agreed with FIFA and other stakeholders to steps to end the impasse.

“The outcomes of these discussions have been promising, with the SRC, CAF, and FIFA generally agreeing on the next steps to address ZIFA’s current situation,” said the Sports Commission statement.

“The Commission deeply appreciates the firm support and positions taken by all stakeholders involved in this week’s consultations.

“These stakeholders have been clear about the changes needed in Zimbabwean football and have collectively called for a swift resolution to ZIFA’s challenges.

“The SRC acknowledges and accepts these calls for action and commits to utilising the positive relationships it has built with FIFA and CAF over the past year, particularly during this week’s meetings, to work towards resolving ZIFA’s encumbered status.

“The public will receive further updates on this matter, particularly during the first week of May 2023.”