Fifa foil Zifa refs scam

FIFA have rejected ZIFA's controversial bid to register, for the first time, ageing match officials, with the world soccer governing body turning down six referees from the list that had been submitted by suspended board member Bryton Malandule for the 2022 panel.

Malandule is the board member in charge of development.

By virtue of his post on the board, he was also chairman of the ZIFA Referees Committee (ZRC).

The Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) on November 16 suspended Malandule along with his colleagues on the ZIFA board including president Felton Kamambo, in a bold move by the regulatory body aimed at addressing the recurrent governance and structural deficiencies bedevilling the country's flagship sport.

Board members Philemon Machana (finance), Sugar Chagonda (competitions) and Stanley Chapeta, who had been co-opted to handle the marketing portfolio, were among those that were also swept aside by the SRC tide as did chief executive Joseph Mamutse, who had been the first to be suspended.

Malandule's tenure as ZRC leader has, however, been tainted by controversy including damning allegations of sexual abuse of female match officials under his watch.

In the latest scam, the ZRC had applied to FIFA to have the crew of Washington Chari, Thabani Bamala, Virimayi Muroyiwa, Patrick Kalota, Christina Mpanza and Sibonokuhle Sibanda, included on the world body's panel for the coming year.

That application was always questionable in that it not only overlooked young and upcoming referees, who are already handling Premiership matches, but forsook them for those who are now on the wrong end of their 30s.

In fact, some of those whose applications were rejected are nearing the twilight of their careers, ironically before they have even gained experience on the domestic, regional and international stages.

FIFA's official retirement age for referees is 45 although special dispensation can be granted where there has been proof that one can still perform at the top level beyond that cut off point.

The Sunday Mail Sport's investigations have revealed that in the case of the ZIFA application, the association was trying to smuggle in referees seeking to make their debuts onto the FIFA panel at the age of 39.

There was also an attempt by ZIFA to have FIFA include on the global panel the duo of Bamala and Kalota as Futsal (Five-a-side) referees while Mpanza and Muroyiwa had been earmarked for inclusion as Beach soccer referees.

In the absence of Futsal and Beach soccer leagues in Zimbabwe, it was always going to be a huge gamble to ask an organisation like FIFA, who are thorough in their scrutiny, to accept the four Zimbabwean referees when they do not have any history of officiating in FUTSAL and Beach soccer, which at the moment, are virtually non-existent in the country.

It is such decisions that have, according to sources close to the ZRC, caused much disquiet in the domestic refereeing fraternity.

"How can a referee with no clue whatsoever of FUTSAL and Beach soccer, someone who has never gone even through the basic laws of those two types of football or officiated in amateur games of this nature, suddenly find themselves being earmarked for the FIFA panel.

"FIFA panel referees officiate in professional games and not mickey mouse matches and this smacks of a huge scandal that not only brings the name of Zimbabwe into disrepute but closes the door on those who are more deserving in other facets as the country's quota is not that big,'' the sources said.

"What is it that the committee is seeking to achieve when trying to register Christina Mpanza at 39 years of age to try her hand at officiating professional Beach soccer competitions? "Wherein lies the motivation even if she is said to be fit, she has no known track record of handling Beach soccer games?''

Curiously Malandule's committee also tried without success to have the 39-year-old Bamala registered on the FUTSAL panel for 2022.

Bamala, who has made his name in Zimbabwean football by handling Premiership matches, albeit often in controversial circumstances, has no historical relationship with FUTSAL.

Naturally FIFA saw through the attempted fraud and rejected the ZRC bid outright.

Dearth of top referees

That Zimbabwe now cannot have any referee selected for the Africa Cup of Nations or any major FIFA tournament, also puts into perspective the dearth of elite match officials in the country.

This current crop is also a far cry from the fine generation of referees that included Felix Tangawarima, Brighton Mudzamiri, Wilfred Mukuna, Gladmore Muzambi, Kenny Marange, Sam Chirape, Dave Sibanda, Thabani Mnkantjo, Nelson Kusosa, Alfred Zindove, Thomas Khumalo, Cain Mhlanga and Joseph Mususa. Acting ZRC chairman Mudzamiri, while acknowledging the dearth of top-notch referees, insisted that his committee could not be entirely blamed.

Mudzamiri, however, conceded that the absence of FUTSAL and Beach soccer leagues in the country had weighed against their referees whose bid was rejected by FIFA on the basis that they do not qualify.

The former policeman, the only Zimbabwean to have been appointed to officiate at a World Cup in 2002, noted that the local refereeing family was struggling with a succession plan that would develop more quality match officials.

Read more on www.sundaymail.co.zw

"To develop one referee who has the capacity to go to AFCON takes many years and the last referee to go to AFCON was Kenny Marange in 2008.

"There was no succession plan after our retirement but we have now been trying to develop referees and I must add that as a committee we can only do 20 percent, the other 80 percent rests with the individual.

"For instance we have a brilliant referee, Norman Matemera, who was on the CAF B-list and was on the verge of being elevated to the A-list and go to the Nations Cup but he has problems with his fitness issues and is always failing tests even though CAF know about his capabilities.

"So our brightest prospect at the moment is Brighton Chimene. He is focused but at the moment he is on the CAF B panel and can only handle the CHAN tournament and some inter-club games,'' Mudzamiri said.

He also defended the pair of Chari and Sibanda.

"Chari has handled PSL matches including some big games. Sibanda is so fit that she actually runs in the men's fitness test and not that for women.

"Yes age is not on their side but their fitness levels are high up there. I agree that as first timers it is difficult to get them onto the FIFA panel when they don't have enough experience.

"But it is not like we are not infusing young blood, we have a lot of youngsters that have graduated onto the ZIFA panel who are between 20 and 30-years-old and at the just ended Region 5 games we had one of our referees who is 21-years-old handling matches there,'' Mudzamiri said.

Zimbabwean referees on 2022 FIFA panel:

Rank: Name Status

1                    Brighton Chimene                          (Accepted)
2                    Prince Mathumo                            (Accepted)
3                    Lawrence         Zimondi            (Accepted)
4                    Thanks Nyahuye                            (Accepted)
5                    Grace Gimo                                (Accepted)
6                    Washington Chari                      (Not Accepted)
7                    Mercy Mayimbo                         (Accepted)

Assistant Referee

Rank             Name Status

1                    Thomas Kusosa                               (Accepted)
2                    Tafadzwa         Nkala                 (Accepted)
3                    Salani Ncube                              (Accepted)
4                    Luckson Mhara                               (Accepted)
5                    Faith Mloyi                                (Accepted)
6                    Sibonokuhle Sibanda                  (Not Accepted)
7                    Claris Simango                            (Accepted)
8                    Edgar Rumeck  (Accepted)
9                    Brighton Nyika                   (Accepted)