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Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
ZIFA Board Members, who were suspended from the domestic football leadership before the entire leadership was booted out by Councillors, have been given the green light to contest for posts at the next elective Congress. The elections are set for December 5. The ZIFA Electoral Committee, chaired by Justice Sello Nare, met yesterday and resolved that the affected members — former vice-president Omega Sibanda, board member (finance) Bernard Gwarada and Women’s Football leader Miriam Sibanda — were eligible to file their nomination papers ahead of the vote.

The meeting was attended by FIFA development officer for Central and Southern Africa Ashford Mamelodi, who was in Zimbabwe to get an appreciation of the election roadmap. ZIFA communications manager, Xolisani Gwesela, confirmed the trio was eligible to contest for posts in accordance with the election roadmap as outlined by the association’s constitution.

“A circular will be issued tomorrow (today) pertaining the candidatures. On the eligibility of the board members that had been suspended, it was agreed that they are free and eligible to contest, hence their suspensions fall away,” said Gwesela. “All this was done in conformity with the ZIFA constitution.”

Although the three were cleared to take part in the election, it doesn’t mean they will bounce back to retain their positions on the ZIFA Board which was booted out recently. They are deemed to have been part of the Board that was dissolved by the ZIFA Assembly early this month.

The nominations opened early this month and will close on November 5. The committee will meet two days later to vet the candidates while the appeal period has been set for November 9-12. The full list of successful candidates will be published on November 15.

The Electoral Committee confirmed that nomination fees for those interested in running for the ZIFA presidency stand at $2 500 while those who wish to contest for vice presidency should part with $2 000. Nomination fees for the candidates to stand for the office of board members have been pegged at $1 500.

Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe international Daniel Chikanda has called for a level playing field in the election processes. Chikanda, who is now based in the United Kingdom also indicated his ambitions to run for office in the future.

“ZIFA have done well to reduce the nomination fees but I still feel it’s still high for an average Zimbabwean. We should not repeat the mistakes that we made in the past when we brought in the likes of Cuthbert Dube on the basis that they were the ones who could afford the fees.

“I believe there are former players who really know what should be done to save our game in Zimbabwe but look at the average salaries they are getting, and to think that they can spare that much just to get into office will be asking too much from them,” he said.