Dynamos question Twine Phiri's endorsement

CRACKS have emerged in the Premier Soccer League over Twine Phiri's status after the PSL yesterday officially advised Zifa in writing that he was their mandated representative on the mother body's board.

Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze yesterday confirmed receipt of the PSL letter endorsing Phiri as their board representative.

"We received correspondence this afternoon from the PSL informing us that Phiri will represent them in the Zifa board so I'm in the process of informing the board on the developments," said Mashingaidze.

The move, however, sparked immediate reaction from Harare giants Dynamos, who said Phiri had long lost relevance in the leadership of Caps United and could not continue leading the PSL.

Dynamos, who have previously threatened to form a breakaway league, said as far as they were concerned, only club chairmen or presidents sit on the Zifa board, a position that Phiri no longer holds at Makepekepe.

"I don't know whether the PSL constitution has changed, but what we know is that only club chairmen or presidents are (PSL) governors. This is why in our case Webster Chikengezha used to represent us, but all that stopped when the new rule came into force. I'm sure it's the same issue with Chicken Inn, who used to be represented by Tawengwa Hara," said DeMbare president Kenny Mubaiwa.

Divisions within the PSL over Phiri's status emerged last Saturday when nine out of the 16 PSL clubs attended a hastily arranged meeting at a Bulawayo hotel to endorse Phiri's leadership.

The meeting, which saw some clubs literally being forced to endorse Phiri before later being denied sitting allowances, was snubbed by Hwange, Buffaloes, Dongo Sawmill, Triangle United, ZPC Kariba, Highlanders and Dynamos.

"Representatives from Whawha and Flame Lily were not given their allowances with the league's competitions manager Elisha Mandireva saying the two teams were no longer part of the PSL, which was rather strange because when it came to the issue of endorsing Twine, they were part of the league," said a PSL governor who attended the meeting.

He said a Flame Lily representative even failed to travel back to Harare after being refused the sitting allowance and had to be assisted by friends that gave him transport money.

"That endorsement of Phiri was forced on us. A number of clubs no longer want this guy. It's sad that we are seeing petty personal differences and politics creeping into our league," said the governor.

Whawha chairperson Musa Ntonga confirmed attending the meeting, although she was unwilling to confirm claims that they were not given allowances.

"Whoever called that meeting should have called a proper governors' meeting with all the 16 clubs attending. Phiri is not Caps United chairman and this is why he did not vote at the (Zifa) extraordinary meeting on December 5 and Lewis Uriri voted instead. If Caps United are saying Phiri is their representative in the PSL, then what was Uriri doing in a councillors' meeting on that day," said Mubaiwa.

Zifa wrote to the PSL and Zimbabwe Women Football asking them to forward names of their representative on the association's board, a request which torched a storm with Phiri declaring that he was the legitimate leader of the league.

Despite his controversial endorsement, Phiri will not sit in the Zifa board as yet until he has been ratified by the PSL assembly, which will only meet in February 2016.

Constitutionally, if the chairman of the league is no longer eligible to sit in the PSL assembly either by relegation or losing control of the club, the league's vice-chairman takes over leadership of the league until the next elective congress.