Opinion / Columnist
Zimbabwe soccer referees crying foul
10 Oct 2021 at 18:20hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) is alleged being accused of gross incompetence, mismanagement and laundering of Fifa funds meant for the development of the local game by some aggrieved local referees who feel that the institution is playing hide and seek with them.
Referees are complaining that they could not access some of the money promised by Zifa.
Football in Zimbabwe was not active for the past one and half years due to the ravages of Covid19 pandemic and when it resumed some premiership clubs were drawn to play for Chibuku Cup tournament.
Most of the Zimbabwean referees are not gainfully employed and depend mostly on officiating local games to augment on their meagre salaries.
They have been complaining about poor remuneration they were getting from officiating these games.
Zifa the football mother body offered to pay referees using FIFA grants but referees were being paid 6000 RTGS and yet the referees were using their own money to go for test of Covid19 which is pegged at US$40.
Referees are suspecting that the Fifa grants which were supposed to be channelled to the Zimbabwe Soccer Referees Association for administration purposes and paying the referees have been misused by Zifa.
An anonymous referee bemoaned that match fees were not yet paid for the past five Chibuku Cup games played so far.
Zifa promised to pay match officials for this Chibuku Cup tournament but are now shifting goal posts, saying the money is finished and yet it was budgeted for.
This Chibuku Cup tournament is sponsored by Chibuku and they are the ones who should make sure that all referees participating in the tournament are paid accordingly and that their welfare is well catered for.
There should be a forensic audit for Covid19 Fifa grants as most of the monies could have been alleged abused. The money should be used for referees development but it seems the money was diverted and used somewhere else and was not accounted for.
Referees ended up paying everything using their own hard earned money.
In this development the referees committee was not also spared as it needed money to travel and commission games and pay match commissioners their dues. This has adversely affected the running of the referees association.
Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
Twitter - @Leokoni
+27616868508
Referees are complaining that they could not access some of the money promised by Zifa.
Football in Zimbabwe was not active for the past one and half years due to the ravages of Covid19 pandemic and when it resumed some premiership clubs were drawn to play for Chibuku Cup tournament.
Most of the Zimbabwean referees are not gainfully employed and depend mostly on officiating local games to augment on their meagre salaries.
They have been complaining about poor remuneration they were getting from officiating these games.
Zifa the football mother body offered to pay referees using FIFA grants but referees were being paid 6000 RTGS and yet the referees were using their own money to go for test of Covid19 which is pegged at US$40.
Referees are suspecting that the Fifa grants which were supposed to be channelled to the Zimbabwe Soccer Referees Association for administration purposes and paying the referees have been misused by Zifa.
Zifa promised to pay match officials for this Chibuku Cup tournament but are now shifting goal posts, saying the money is finished and yet it was budgeted for.
This Chibuku Cup tournament is sponsored by Chibuku and they are the ones who should make sure that all referees participating in the tournament are paid accordingly and that their welfare is well catered for.
There should be a forensic audit for Covid19 Fifa grants as most of the monies could have been alleged abused. The money should be used for referees development but it seems the money was diverted and used somewhere else and was not accounted for.
Referees ended up paying everything using their own hard earned money.
In this development the referees committee was not also spared as it needed money to travel and commission games and pay match commissioners their dues. This has adversely affected the running of the referees association.
Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
Twitter - @Leokoni
+27616868508
Source - Leonard Koni
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