Zifa sub-committees appointments ignite murmurs of discontent

ZIFA may have finally established sub-committees to assist in the administration of the game, but the manner in which the men and women on the various bodies were picked has torched murmurs of discontent. The association's president Philip Chiyangwa on Thursday announced a number of sub-committees picked by his board to help in the running of the country's biggest sport.

Chiyangwa will head the contentious ZIFA Referees Committee while his deputy Omega Sibanda will preside over four others, with the rest being headed by other board members in line with the law book.

But as ZIFA also prepare for an annual meeting of the assembly, which could be staged next month, it emerged yesterday that some questions are being raised over the manner in which some of the committees have been established.

In terms of the ZIFA constitution:

"Standing and ad-hoc committees shall advise and assist the Executive Committee in fulfilling its duties. Their duties, composition and function are defined in these statutes and/or special regulations drawn up by the Executive Committee.

"The general secretariat is the administrative body. The judicial bodies are the Disciplinary Committee, the Appeals Committee and the Ethics Committee.

"The bodies of ZIFA shall be either elected or appointed by ZIFA itself without any external influence and in accordance with the procedures described in these statutes''.

However, ZIFA's decision to appoint an ad-hoc disciplinary committee chaired by Sibanda and including his deputy Victor Matipano and members Musa Mandaza, Davison Muchena, Willard Manyengavana and Chapeta is not provided in the association's body of law.

In terms of the constitution, the standing committee of ZIFA should be:

Finance Committee

Audit Committee

Organising Committee for ZIFA competitions

Technical and Development Committee

Referees' Committee

Women's Football Committee

Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee

Sports Medical Committee

Players' Status Committee

These committees are complemented by the judicial bodies.

Although there is a provision in Article 51 for the establishment of Ad-hoc standing committees, the one for disciplinary is a judicial body and is not provided for.

The inclusion of Sibanda on the Ad-hoc Disciplinary Committee, an executive committee member also flouts Article 32. 8 of the ZIFA statutes which states that:

"A member of the Executive Committee may not at the same time be a member of a judicial body of ZIFA''.

ZIFA may also have to review their decision to appoint practising coaches in the High Performance Committee, where non-active coaches have previously served.

The High Performance Committee has also previously set its member and the national coaches on a collision course with such former Warriors coaches like Sunday Chidzambwa, Norman Mapeza and Ian Gorowa expressing strong reservations about the committee.

Incumbent Warriors coach Callisto Pasuwa is also unlikely to be welcoming of a set-up where a contingent of Premiership club coaches is expected to superintend over his performance with the national team. In the Referees Committee, ZIFA may also have to review the appointment of Musa Ntonga, who is the chairperson of Central Region Division One outfit WhaWha. Ntonga, a losing candidate in the battle for the Central Region chairmanship when falling 51-1 to Stanley Chapeta, is one of the members of the committee that is also expected to handle the appointments of match officials in the country and matters related to the laws of the game. The Premier Soccer League will also feel hard done by ZIFA as their chairman Peter Dube, is the only board member who has not been given any committee to head despite leading the flagship affiliate body of the association.