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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
BELEAGUERED Zifa yesterday failed to appear at the Bulawayo Labour Court to defend themselves on allegations of failing to pay education officer Brian Moyo $15,000 in outstanding allowances collected from continental soccer governing body Caf.

Moyo was appointed Caf education officer in 2012, which entitles him to an allowance of $3,000 every six months. The outstanding amount now totals $18,000.

However, Moyo has not received a cent from this allowance despite Caf depositing the amount into Zifa’s account every six months.

On his appointment as a Caf education officer, Moyo was meant to act as a football development manager, information provider and courses/seminars’ coordinator for all matters related to football development, including, but not limited to coaching, refereeing, administration and medical matters.

Article C of the Caf handbook for education officers authored by Caf football development director Abdel Moneim Hussein Shatta reads: “To reach this goal, two means are essentially applied; firstly, a Caf education officer is nominated by each respective national association and confirmed by Caf using strict criteria of selection. This education officer is paid through his federation $3,000 every six months.

“The EO (education officer) represents for Caf the ideal contact person to communicate and exchange content on football development projects undertaken by the confederation, and to maintain and channel a direct link between Caf and the MAs (member associations) in the areas linked to football education, teaching and development.

“It’s important to clarify as well that each EO is an employee of the MA, subsidised by Caf, and staying under the direct authority of the MA general secretary.”

It is against this background that Moyo dragged Zifa to the Labour Court.

Education officers from other member associations confirmed that they had been receiving the Caf allowances.

It has also emerged that while Caf have consistently been depositing $3,000 every six months, the money seems to have been channelled elsewhere.

Before taking his matter to the Labour Court, Moyo wrote to Caf director of football development Shatta on May 13, informing him about the outstanding allowances.

“I’m sure you recall the above mentioned issue I raised at the last Caf education officers’ workshop in Yaoundé (Cameroon).

“Things got worse after that workshop as I was immediately transferred from head office in Harare to a Bulawayo subsidiary office (439km away), after raising the issue of my unpaid Caf allowances with my supervisor.

“It has since become very difficult for me to fulfil my Caf duties and responsibilities, as I have been sidelined in all programmes where I’m supposed to be present. I still haven’t received my Caf allowances to date.

“I’m also writing this letter to inform you that I’ve since formally engaged the FA, including the president and the Zifa board over this issue,” Moyo wrote in his email.

In his response, Shatta informed Moyo that he had forwarded the email to Zifa technical director Maxwell Takaendesa Jongwe so that he could deal with the matter. The Caf official also indicated that he would engage Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze so he could solve the problem.

Surprisingly, Mashingaidze is listed on the Caf website as Zimbabwe’s education officer.

Moyo is arguing that since Caf have consistently been depositing funds into Zifa’s accounts, there is no reason why the national association should be withholding his allowances.

Zifa has been ordered to attend the Labour Court hearing on the matter on Monday.

Repeated efforts to get a comment from Zifa were fruitless as both the association’s spokesman Xolisani Gwesela and Mashingaidze’s mobile phones were unreachable.