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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
FOLLOWING the release of funds for last year’s COSAFA tournaments into the regional body coffers this week, ZIFA have committed to first honouring their financial obligations to the Mighty Warriors. They owe them a substantial amount of money.

The Mighty Warriors, who finished as runners-up to COSAFA champions South Africa at Barbourfields last September, were this week awarded their prize money of R250 000 by the tournament sponsors Kwese. The money was deposited into the COSAFA account in Johannesburg this week and ZIFA have since availed their account details to COSAFA.

Although ZIFA will be given $750 000, including the $500 000 prize money for the Warriors who lifted the COSAFA Castle Cup in South Africa last July, the association will not get that full chunk after they were advanced some money last year by COSAFA so they could stage the women’s edition in Bulawayo. But, crucially for ZIFA, the Mighty Warriors prize money will help the mother body offset what they owe the women’s national team players.

Yesterday, the ZIFA board member in charge of finance Philemon Machana shed some light regarding the outstanding Mighty Warriors COSAFA money.

“We haven’t sat down to deliberate on the figures, but what I know is we owe them (Mighty Warriors some appearance fees as well as winning bonuses for COSAFA matches). We have contracts with them, also on their part they know what they are exactly owed.

“We are now going to honour those obligations first. The money we will get should be about $20 000 or $25 000 (equivalent to R250 000), so if we owe them, say $30 000 for the COSAFA tournament, then we will pay everything and we remain with a minus balance.

“If their total amount is $20 000, then we will pay them first and whatever remains will go into the association’s coffers. Unfortunately, I don’t have the figures at hand,” he said.

Machana said they found themselves with financial challenges regarding the Bulawayo tournament after Government failed the meet the budget.

“Government promised us the money for COSAFA women’s tournament, they gave us the guarantee and we gave them the full budget, but they did not meet the commitments. COSAFA then advanced us some money so that the tournament could be staged, so they have since garnished it from the Warriors prize money to offset what they advanced us towards the staging of the women’s COSAFA tournament.