Heads begin to roll at ZIFA

In a move viewed to be associated with the poor performance of the National Soccer teams, founding ZIFA women football administrator Theresa Maguraushe has been fired from her job with immediate effect.

In a statement issued to Bulawayo24 News on Thursday Maguraushe said that new ZIFA Women's Soccer boss Miriam Sibanda served her with an immediate dismissal letter accusing her of over stepping her responsibilities in administering the game.

"I got a dismissal letter from Miriam Sibanda this morning which said that I am immediately dismissed from ZIFA women's soccer National Administrator position because I am said to be operating as both a policy maker and administrator at the same time," said Maguraushe.

Asked what the statement meant, the veteran Women Soccer Administrator said that she was also equally confused about what the statement meant as was with this reporter. Probed if perhaps prior the dismissal she had experienced any feuds with the new board, Maguraushe expressed ignorance of any misunderstandings between her and the board that may had led to her unexpected dismissal.

"I am not aware of any misunderstanding or feud with the new board except if they knew of any and never communicated that to me," she said. "I only saw the dismissal letter being served on me without any explanation."

In a recent outburst, new boss Sibanda threatened that "heads were going to roll" in her administration following failure by the national team to qualify for the women's Africa Championship at the hands of Zambia last month.

The latest that Maguraushe was on the Women's Soccer headlines was this weekend when she announced to media the kicking off of the National Women's league after over a year of inactivity. Maguraushe made an announcement that the league was kicking off without sponsorship and clubs were sponsoring themselves for the love of the game as the league had failed to source corporate sponsorship for the league.

Maguraushe's a passion for women's soccer started way back in the nineties when the sport was first introduced into the ZIFA structures. Her dream in the sport was always to motivate women and equip them with a purpose in life through football. She became one of the first Women Soccer Administrators in ZIFA and never looked back since then.

In 2001, Maguraushe formed her own football team, Mufakose Queens, from a group of netball players . She was later joined by other women's soccer enthusiasts to form provincial structures at the turn of the century before being elected first chairperson for Harare Province Women's Soccer Board.

At the formation of the National Women's Soccer body in 2006, Maguraushe took up the position of National Administrator which she has been occupying until her dismissal on Thursday morning. Under her tenure, she made sure that ZIFA provided women's soccer with equal recognition and access to resources as the main stream men's soccer.

Asked what she made of her dismissal, Maguraushe simply said that the new board "needed serious orientation into women's soccer administration."

Comment could not be sourced from Sibanda the new Women's Soccer boss on the dismissal of the renowned administrator.