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Sports Reporter

ZIFA vice president Omega Sibanda has insisted that the issue of relegation and promotion is now done and dusted after the councillors voted on Saturday to promote four teams and demote two for the coming Premiership season.Sibanda said the councillors confirmed the proposal by the ZIFA board to increase the number of teams in the Premiership to 18 with this resolution. The ZIFA Assembly will now need to amend their constitution to accommodate the two extra members into their family from 62 delegates to 64 who make up the council.

“A resolution was passed unanimously and confirmed. What is now left is for us to amend the constitution so that the number of delegates in the assembly be increased.

“But it should be noted that this resolution to bring in four and drop two is for this year only because of the impasse. We hope to bring the matter to its logical conclusion at our next assembly,” said Sibanda.

The ZIFA councillors met on Saturday to iron out the contentious issue of relegation and promotion. The standoff, which appeared to have split the nation’s game between ZIFA and PSL, had since been referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland by the disgruntled league bosses.

Despite the fact that the issue is still pending at CAS, Sibanda said ZIFA, who had also challenged the jurisdiction of the international body to rule over this matter, had made their resolution which should be acceptable to all following the weekend vote.

He said the matter was determined through a vote which the PSL clubs also took part in as delegates.

“I cannot talk about issues of a legal nature especially those involving the Premier Soccer League. Remember PSL are not our affiliate, but the clubs are.

“But as far as things have turned out after the meeting, we no longer have a problem anymore concerning the issue of relegation and promotion,” said Sibanda.

ZIFA released a statement at the weekend indicating that the determination by the assembly was binding.

“Zimbabwe Football Association assembly members held an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting on 7 January 2017 in Harare where they agreed that Two teams will be relegated from the Premier Soccer League for the season which ended in November 2016 while Four teams will be promoted from the regional leagues to play in the 2017 PSL season.

“The congress also agreed that there shall be an amendment to article 21 of the ZIFA constitution which deals with the number of delegates who constitute the ZIFA assembly since the resolution made at the meeting automatically increases the number of delegates from 62 to 64.

“With the PSL relegating two teams and four regional champions being promoted, the top-flight league will have 18 teams for the 2017 season,” read the statement.

Jose Luis Andrade, Counsel for CAS, had on Thursday written to both ZIFA and the PSL advising them that the matter was still pending before the Swiss court.

This came after both the ZIFA and the PSL lawyers had respectively written to CAS on separate occasions.

“I acknowledge receipt of the claimants’ (PSL) later of today, a copy of which is enclosed for the respondents’ (ZIFA) attention.

“I note that the claimants insist on being granted an extension of time to file an observation on CAS jurisdiction in the context of the request for provisional measures.

“The parties are advised that the issue will be submitted to the president of the Division for her consideration. More information will follow in due course. Please be advised that I remain at the parties disposal for any further information,’’ wrote Andrade.