Chiyangwa's directive throws women football into turmoil

THE interim Zimbabwe Women's Football executive is set to be dissolved at the end of the month despite clubs failing to meet the 31 August deadline to re-register and set the ball rolling new committee elections.

Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa said they will be extending the deadline for clubs to register but the date is yet to be set.

Chiyangwa refused to divulge the reasons that motivated the sudden dissolution of the executive but said as the appointing authority he had the right to do so.

"Clubs will register in due course but the executive that I had appointed to the interim committee will be no more by the end of the month. The secretariat will run the game in the mean time before we host elections," he said.

ZWF is led by Elizabeth Langa as chairperson with Cecilia Gambe deputising her while Rosemary Muzvidza and Beaulah Msara are committee members. Langa said they were informed of the decision to dissolve the committee through correspondence last week but no reasons were proffered for the sudden pronouncement.

The committee was appointed on an interim basis after then committee members Miriam Sibanda, Benny Mamoche and Fungai Magosvongwe were ejected on allegations on misappropriating funds meant for the Mighty Warriors. The trio was arrested and the case is pending at the Harare Magistrates Courts.

The running of the women's regional leagues have been thrown into turmoil following Zifa's directive for teams to re-register despite an earlier resolution to promote top four regional teams at the end of the year to a new national league.

Regional leagues had kicked off at the beginning of the year after teams agreed it was financially unsustainable to play at national level. ZWF leadership then decided that the top four teams at the end of the season at each regional league would then make up a new Super League.

However, in a turn of events a fortnight ago, Chiyangwa issued a directive compelling all teams to register afresh by 31 August.

According to the directive, upon registration each club will go through vetting in order to establish that "appropriate" officials are in office leading to a register of clubs being published, who will make up a premier league and other lower structures. The vetting will be done next month and clubs who are registered would vote for a new national executive on 22 October.

Chiyangwa said they had reversed the decision to promote four regional teams to form a national league next year but could not give reasons on what informed the change. In the forthcoming elections only officials affiliated to clubs are eligible for election.