Zimpapers Logo

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE ZIFA Appeals Committee has remained resolute that ZIFA vice-president Gift Banda must be reinstated to his position despite the association’s lawyer, Chenaimoyo Gumiro, claiming that the Bulawayo-based businessman remained suspended.

Banda, who was suspended one month into office in January 2019, faced a cocktail of charges from his executive committee colleagues which included illegally and unilaterally, without the authority of the board, unconstitutionally usurping the powers of the executive committee as enshrined in section 34(k) of the ZIFA constitution that delegates the sole responsibility of appointing national team coaches and other technical staff to the executive committee and not individuals.

It was ZIFA’s contention that Banda illegally, unconstitutionally and against the association’s rules and regulations (document 2, regulations on the allocation of functions to standing committees Article 2.11) again without authority, usurped powers of the technical development standing committee, whose role is to, among other things, recommend coaches, instructors and trainers to the executive committee.

This, ZIFA said, “brought confusion, disorder and chaos to the smooth administration of the game, wilfully misrepresented, lied and misled the public, stakeholders and the world” in his press statements that the executive committee made the decision to fire coaches and made new appointments fully knowing that to be untrue, thus causing disaffection on the board, its councillors, the public, the national team, coaches and stakeholders.

By so doing, Banda is said to have brought the game and the association into disrepute at a time the association was busy cleansing itself of all ill-manners and attempting to attract corporate sponsorship.

His utterances were widely circulated in both mainstream and social media and attracted a backlash on the board on a decision it never reached.

The ZIFA executive committee said through Banda’s actions of gross misconduct, he destabilised the team, lowered the morale at a time the team was just one game away from qualifying for the next AFCON finals and in so doing, that would have negatively impacted on the preparations of the team and hence its ultimate performance. All these and other allegations were, however, dismissed after the disciplinary committee noted that Banda had only recommended but had not effected any dismissals.

ZIFA then appealed against the disciplinary committee’s judgment to exonerate Banda of all the charges levelled against him, principally of unilaterally changing the Warriors’ technical team but the appeal was thrown out on a technicality by the Appeals Committee.

ZIFA lawyer, Gumiro told our sister paper, The Sunday Mail that Banda remained suspended as his matter was still under the football courts.

However, the Appeals Committee chairman, Stead Kachere, yesterday said that as far as they were concerned, Banda must now be reinstated.

“Our ruling was that since ZIFA did not pay appeal fees when they lodged their appeal, it’s as good as there is no appeal. The judgment of the ZIFA Disciplinary Committee, therefore, remains effective.  In other words, Banda should be reinstated to his position as ZIFA vice- president,” said Kachere.