News / National
Zifa boots out officials over Cuthbert Dube 'coup attempt'
16 Jun 2015 at 08:25hrs | Views
THE Zifa Board have axed eight officials, including vice-president Omega Sibanda, in a brutal purge targeting those accused of allegedly masterminding the boardroom coup which briefly ousted the Association's leader, Cuthbert Dube, from his post last month.
The Zifa councillors immediately hit back at Dube, accusing his leadership of domestic football as "dictatorial and directionless" and saying the latest developments will not frighten them from exercising their right to hold the game's leaders to account.
The councillors said their fight had turned into a national battle to pluck the game from the clutches of two individuals, accusing Dube and Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze, of privatising domestic football.
Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda said: "We can't have a meeting whereby a lawyer disguised as a Zifa official is smuggled into a meeting Ralph Maganga and Jonathan Mashingaidze are not Zifa board members but they were the main actors in this entire fiasco. They say they suspended Zifa members whereas we are board members and councillors, not affiliates. So everything about them is confusion."
Sibanda declared the suspension as a nullity saying that the Zifa Board did not have the constitutional mandate to do that and the meeting became illegal when the original agenda was changed.
"That's a nullity because we cannot have a Board meeting where the lawyer is part of the proceedings and dominates everything when he isn't a member of the board," said Sibanda.
Sibanda, who was Dube's number two on the Zifa Board, has the highest profile among the casualties who were booted out following a contentious meeting in the capital which some argued was unconstitutional after the agenda was doctored to factor in the dismissals and suspensions of members who have fallen out with the leadership.
A statement read: "The Zifa Board met today and resolved to suspend the following members:-
1. Omega Sibanda - Vice President
2. Bernard Gwarada - Board Member Finance
3. Willard Manyengavana - Northern Region Chairman
4. Sweeney Mushonga - Northern Region Secretary General
5. Piraishe Mabhena - Eastern Region Chairman
6. Musa Mandaza - Southern Region Chairman
7. Felton Kamambo - Central Region Chairman
8. Denis Tshuma - Mat South Province Chairman
"The suspensions were based on truly trumped-up charges in an effort to weaken our position before our EGM on 20 June 2015.
"We still remain convinced that (Cuthbert) Elkana Dube has FAILED to give us the leadership we deserve. The suspension of the members is also aimed at reducing our numbers and instill fear into the remaining councillors to force us to abandon our EGM.
"No amount of force or intimidation can overcome our desire to free our football for the soccer loving Zimbabweans. We shall remain resolute and united until we achieve the VICTORY.
"We believe that we represent the masses of Zimbabwe in our cause and the nation cannot be held at ransom by two people.
"The players are not happy and so are the clubs and the soccer fans. The end is nigh to Dube's dictatorship and directionless leadership.
Our fight is for the people. Our fight is for the players. Our fight is for football. And Football will definitely win.
"Our call to you is not to lose hope. We are almost there and victory is certain. See you at the Meeting on 20 June 2015," the councillors said in a statement.
They were supported by the Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association whose leader, Eddie Chivero, described the suspensions as a nullity.
"Fifa itself communicated with the councillors, which means that it respected their positions in our football and while it might not have agreed with the outcome of their meeting, there was no indication from the world football governing body that the councillors had turned into rogue individuals who should be pushed out of the game," Chivero said.
"Fifa even said that their concerns should be included on the items of the issues that were set to be discussed by the Joint annual and extra-ordinary meeting, which means that Fifa respected their standing in the game.
"But our football leaders believe that they cannot be questioned and challenged and their best weapon is to suspend people. How many Zifa board members have been suspended since 2010 and does that mean that all these men are wrong and only Dube and Mashingaidze are right?
"If Dube believes that he is solving the challenges in our football by suspending people then he is fooling himself and we can tell him today, loud and clear, that we are not going to take this while lying down."
The Zifa councillors immediately hit back at Dube, accusing his leadership of domestic football as "dictatorial and directionless" and saying the latest developments will not frighten them from exercising their right to hold the game's leaders to account.
The councillors said their fight had turned into a national battle to pluck the game from the clutches of two individuals, accusing Dube and Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze, of privatising domestic football.
Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda said: "We can't have a meeting whereby a lawyer disguised as a Zifa official is smuggled into a meeting Ralph Maganga and Jonathan Mashingaidze are not Zifa board members but they were the main actors in this entire fiasco. They say they suspended Zifa members whereas we are board members and councillors, not affiliates. So everything about them is confusion."
Sibanda declared the suspension as a nullity saying that the Zifa Board did not have the constitutional mandate to do that and the meeting became illegal when the original agenda was changed.
"That's a nullity because we cannot have a Board meeting where the lawyer is part of the proceedings and dominates everything when he isn't a member of the board," said Sibanda.
Sibanda, who was Dube's number two on the Zifa Board, has the highest profile among the casualties who were booted out following a contentious meeting in the capital which some argued was unconstitutional after the agenda was doctored to factor in the dismissals and suspensions of members who have fallen out with the leadership.
A statement read: "The Zifa Board met today and resolved to suspend the following members:-
1. Omega Sibanda - Vice President
2. Bernard Gwarada - Board Member Finance
3. Willard Manyengavana - Northern Region Chairman
4. Sweeney Mushonga - Northern Region Secretary General
5. Piraishe Mabhena - Eastern Region Chairman
6. Musa Mandaza - Southern Region Chairman
7. Felton Kamambo - Central Region Chairman
8. Denis Tshuma - Mat South Province Chairman
"The suspensions were based on truly trumped-up charges in an effort to weaken our position before our EGM on 20 June 2015.
"No amount of force or intimidation can overcome our desire to free our football for the soccer loving Zimbabweans. We shall remain resolute and united until we achieve the VICTORY.
"We believe that we represent the masses of Zimbabwe in our cause and the nation cannot be held at ransom by two people.
"The players are not happy and so are the clubs and the soccer fans. The end is nigh to Dube's dictatorship and directionless leadership.
Our fight is for the people. Our fight is for the players. Our fight is for football. And Football will definitely win.
"Our call to you is not to lose hope. We are almost there and victory is certain. See you at the Meeting on 20 June 2015," the councillors said in a statement.
They were supported by the Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association whose leader, Eddie Chivero, described the suspensions as a nullity.
"Fifa itself communicated with the councillors, which means that it respected their positions in our football and while it might not have agreed with the outcome of their meeting, there was no indication from the world football governing body that the councillors had turned into rogue individuals who should be pushed out of the game," Chivero said.
"Fifa even said that their concerns should be included on the items of the issues that were set to be discussed by the Joint annual and extra-ordinary meeting, which means that Fifa respected their standing in the game.
"But our football leaders believe that they cannot be questioned and challenged and their best weapon is to suspend people. How many Zifa board members have been suspended since 2010 and does that mean that all these men are wrong and only Dube and Mashingaidze are right?
"If Dube believes that he is solving the challenges in our football by suspending people then he is fooling himself and we can tell him today, loud and clear, that we are not going to take this while lying down."
Source - chronicle
