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Grace Chingoma
Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA chief executive, Joseph Mamutse, did not report for work at 53 Livingstone after the association finally received his suspension letter from the Sports and Recreation Commission.

The local football governing body finally received the official communication on Monday evening.

And yesterday, Mamutse did not report for duty.

However, ZIFA still insist there was no justification for the decision by the SRC to impose a suspension on Mamutse.

The association said they will pursue different avenues to ensure that their chief executive, who they describe as “hard-working,’’ will eventually what they feel is fair treatment.

The ZIFA chief executive was on a call to a secretary at the association’s headquarters, when The Herald visited the offices in the capital yesterday.

After the call, the secretary informed the crew, who had requested to see Mamutse, that he would not be available for the entire day.

She said she had just finished talking to him, on the phone, discussing a few issues.

Sources at ZIFA last night said the association had decided to let Mamutse take his leave days while they try to find a way to resolve their impasse with the SRC.

“Mamutse has begun his leave, he has only been coming to work to hand over to his employees, otherwise his leave had started,” said one of the sources.

It is not clear whether this is part of the association’s plan to deal with the SRC order while they await communication from FIFA over the matter.

ZIFA Communications and Competitions Manager, Xolisani Gwesela, is away in South Africa with the Young Warriors.

The national Under-20 youth side begin their COSAFA Championships campaign tomorrow with a match against hosts, South Africa, at the Nelson Mandela Bay.

Yesterday, the association acknowledged they had finally received the communication from the sports regulator.

“ZIFA wishes to inform the football fraternity, and the nation, that it is now in receipt of the suspension letter of ZIFA general-secretary, Mr Joseph Mamutse, penned by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) chairperson, Gerald Mlotshwa.

“The said letter was received late last night (30 November 2020) but dated 26 November 2020.

“ZIFA is now seized with the matter and, as already communicated, believes there was, and still no justification, of this intervention by the SRC, both procedurally and materially.

“Accordingly, as resolved by the ZIFA board meeting of 29 November 2020 and as communicated in our media statement of 29 November 2020, ZIFA will work towards ensuring that fairness, justice and good governance are not only protected but implemented.

“The nation will be informed of the next course of action,” read the statement which was issued by the ZIFA board.

Mamutse and SRC director-general, Prince Mupazviriho, were last Thursday suspended to enable investigations into how a number of national football teams were cleared for foreign assignments in this Covid-19 environment.

The SRC board claim that the circumstances surrounding those clearances were questionable.