Zifa do not have a properly constituted appeals committee

Highlanders could have an unlikely escape route, in their appeal against a fine and the awarding of their abandoned match against Dynamos to the Harare team, after it emerged that Zifa do not have a properly constituted appeals committee.

Bosso have said they will appeal the Premier Soccer League's (PSL) ruling at Zifa, with the football governing body's legal adviser, Itai Ndudzo yesterday saying Highlanders have 15 days from the day of receipt of judgment to appeal.

But it is the appeal process that is now shrouded in mystery, as Zifa does not have a fully-constituted appeals committee at the moment.

The committee only has a chairman, Justice Tawanda Chitapi, who was appointed in August last year.

Article 56 of the Zifa constitution states in part that: "1. The appeals committee shall consist of a chairman, deputy chairman and the number of persons deemed necessary. The chairman and deputy chairman shall have legal qualifications 2. The functions of this body shall be governed by the disciplinary code of Zifa. The committee shall pass decisions only when at least three members are present."

Already, the committee is sitting on two cases from last year and these are yet to be heard to date.

Dynamos appealed a decision to play a league match against Ngezi Platinum in an empty stadium last year after they were found guilty by the PSL disciplinary committee over crowd trouble that rocked their league match against FC Platinum at Rufaro in May.

Another case involved Highlanders, who were ordered to play their match against Bulawayo City in an empty stadium after they were found guilty and fined for crowd trouble in their match against Chicken Inn at Barbourfields Stadium in October.

Zifa spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela yesterday said: "We will advise on the other members of the appeals committee in due course."

The PSL slapped the Bulawayo giants with a $4 000 fine on Monday for causing the abandonment of their league match against Dynamos on May 14, with the match awarded to the Harare side on a 3-0 score line.

The verdict, which Bosso have said they will appeal, was delivered on the eve of the team's other disciplinary hearing, which was set for yesterday evening in the capital.

Highlanders are facing similar charges after their fans allegedly caused the abandonment of their league match against FC Platinum on May 18.

Highlanders have questioned the timing of the judgment for their abandoned match against Dynamos, saying it was planned to cripple them.

Club chief executive officer, Nhlanhla Dube yesterday quizzed PSL's wisdom in delivering the verdict on their abandoned match against Dynamos just hours before his club attend another hearing.

"The judgment is with our lawyers and we are seeking legal advice. We first have to satisfy the processes of making the appeal and quantify the fees and we will then appeal within the stipulated time. But we received this judgment while we were preparing for this hearing that we have today (yesterday) and we are inundated with work," he said.

"This puts us under immense pressure. It's like it was deliberately timed to hit us with a judgment of this nature when we are going for another hearing. Why do they (PSL) want to be psychological controllers? This is clearly mind-games at play. I'm sure this judgment was ready for a while and why was it not released then? Football is a game of emotions and you don't play with people's emotions."