Grassroots football sucked into Zifa wars

Raymond Jaravaza
IF axed Zifa president Felton Kamambo had his way, grassroots football would not benefit from equipment donated by FIFA that has been earmarked for distribution to football development structures.

Kamambo wants the current board led by Gift Banda to keep their hands off equipment that is supposed to benefit budding footballers – both male and female. The ‘instruction’ is contained in a letter from his lawyers Rubaya and Chatambudza, seeking Banda to stop a resolution made by congress, at an Extraordinary General Meeting held last weekend, to disburse football equipment to the intended recipients.

Felton Kamambo

Kamambo and his board that includes Philemon Machana and Bryton Malandule was recalled by the ZIFA congress on April 23.

The trio is also facing fraud charges and was in February this year barred by the Harare Magistrates Court from acting on behalf of Zifa in any manner until the trial is complete.

They were also ordered to stop interfering in the affairs of ZIFA as well as being prohibited from communicating with FIFA as part of their bail conditions. The lawyers representing Kamambo and crew on Tuesday threatened unspecified action against ZIFA for seeking to distribute football equipment to the grassroots.

“Reference is made to the above. We still act for Messrs F Kamambo, P Machana, B. Malandule, S Chapeta and J Mamutse, our clients, who effectively comprise the SRC suspended executive committee members of ZIFA.

Confederation of African Football (CAF)

“It has come to our clients’ attention that at a meeting dubbed ‘the ZIFA EGM’, that you arranged and attended together with your colleagues and subsequently conspired, agreed and resolved to distribute football equipment that was purchased using FIFA funds strictly for FIFA-sanctioned programmes.

“We are advised that your grouping agreed to distribute this equipment starting Wednesday 2nd November, 2022 to your various members despite previous communications from FIFA and CAF that you are to desist from utilising their financial resources and anything acquired using their funds,” wrote the lawyers.

Banda said they would not take instructions from lawyers representing individuals who were long recalled from football.

Fifa

“This is a sideshow which we cannot concentrate on. We will issue a statement in due course, obviously after consultations with stakeholders and our legal advisors.

“But we will not lose sleep over sideshows from people whose mandate was long revoked, the same people who have been trying to feed wrong information to FIFA,’’ Banda said.

“They have no legal standing to tell us what to do or what not to do because the people who should make such decisions are the football people (the Zifa congress), those mandated to do so,” he added.

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