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Lifa Ncube

Sikhumbuzo Moyo/Paul Mundandi, Sports Reporters
DYNAMOS president Kenny Mubaiwa’s attempts to have Premier Soccer League chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele removed from office has failed.

Mubaiwa shocked other members of the PSL board of governors who met in Harare on Friday to deliberate on the previously unresolved and contentious relegation and promotion saga, by seeking to have Ndebele ousted as head of the secretariat.

The respected football administrator was handed a fresh three-year mandate as PSL chief executive officer by the league’s human resources committee led by Triangle United chairman Lovemore Matikinyidze.

“People were shocked when Mubaiwa, who was chairing the meeting in his capacity as the (PSL) emergency committee chair, suggested that the meeting look at the issue of the chief executive officer as Ndebele was no longer in charge of the secretariat following the expiry of his contract. He was told that Ndebele’s case was resolved long back, but he argued that the meeting had to endorse or reject the human resources committee’s decision,” said a governor, who attended the meeting.

The meeting degenerated into a heated argument, with almost all governors totally opposed to Mubaiwa’s suggestion.

“It looks like someone ill-advised him (Mubaiwa) into believing that the chief executive officer’s post could be subject to deliberation at the meeting not knowing that the Matikinyidze committee has the powers to renew or not to renew the contract. Mubaiwa was so angry with our position that he then refused to continue chairing the meeting. We could not be held to ransom by one man and quickly asked Matikinyidze to chair the meeting,” said the governor.

Mubaiwa believes the retainment of Ndebele wasn’t done above board.

The decision was made by two members of the emergency committee, Triangle chairman Lovemore Matikinyidze and outgoing Chicken Inn boss Lifa Ncube.

“Matikinyidze renewed Ndebele’s contract without consulting the board of governors. His appointment was done in the corridors,” said Mubaiwa.

“In normal circumstances the position should have been advertised and the governors should have sat and agreed.

“I was not even advised as a member of the emergency committee. Upon his return he announced that Delta was not happy with 18 teams  and he wanted to use that as a tool to have the PSL clubs backing him.”

Matikinyidze lost a big battle on Friday when the clubs agreed to withdraw their case which has been pending before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

Mubaiwa proposed that the clubs withdraw the case and he was seconded by Caps United president Farai Jere with FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum Stars also backing the move.

Besides accepting Zifa’s decision to have four teams promoted from Division One and two relegated, last Friday’s meeting also set February 28 as the deadline for player registration, with March 31 the closing date for player transfers.