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Twine Phiri

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
A HARARE lawyer and chairman of the Zifa constitutional review committee has torn into Caps United chairman Lewis Uriri for trying to smuggle former Makepekepe president Twine Phiri into the Premier Soccer League board of governors.

Itayi Ndudzo also warned Uriri of possible sanctions against him and the club.

Ndudzo said Uriri cannot be allowed to summersault and present Phiri as the club’s representative to the PSL after disowning him at the Zifa polls in December last year.

“He can’t be allowed to approbate and reprobate without inviting sanctions for his club if not for himself. Suffice to mention is that Uriri can’t be allowed to author confusion by shifting goalposts for the convenience of Phiri in the face of unambiguous and unequivocal provisions of football statutes,” said Ndudzo.

Uriri wrote a letter to PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele yesterday insisting that Phiri was their representative on the PSL Board of Governors because he was the chairman of their executive committee.

In the letter from the “chairman’s desk”, Uriri said he was the chairman of Caps United Football Club while Phiri was chairman of the executive committee.

Chronicle Sport is in possession of the original letter by Uriri.

Part of the letter by Uriri reads: “The presidium, being the shareholders, appointed directors in terms of the articles of association. The directors formulate the policies of the club and give direction to the executive. I am presently the chairman of the board and as such, the chairman of Caps United Football Club. The executive committee, which is headed by the chief executive officer, is under the leadership of the management committee (the executive committee). Twine Phiri is, by resolution of the board of directors, the chairman of the executive committee and reports to the board, a position he has held without interruption.”

However, Ndudzo said the origins of the letter were clear that it was from the chairman of Caps United, who is Uriri.

“Uriri represents and confirms himself as the exclusive chairman of Caps United FC. It’s critical to state that the exclusive member of Zifa and the PSL is Caps United FC, the entity chaired by Uriri. Any other internal body, committee, branch, element or structure within the football club itself is of no relevance, concern and consequence to Zifa and its affiliate the PSL.

“Therefore, that Uriri mentions the existence of a “presidium” and “executive committee” within his football club cannot circumvent the self evident fact that he’s the exclusive chairman of the football club, which is the only recognised and registered member of Zifa,” said Ndudzo.

He said Caps United, like any other football club, can have all sorts of internal committees and style them whichever way it desires.

“However, it must be noted that the football statutes only speak of the chairman of the football club itself as eligible for serving as a governor. There’s no room whatsoever for the chairman of a workers’ committee, supporters’ committee, players’ committee, “executive committee” or any other committee of the club, however, styled and constituted to gatecrash representation of the football club,” said Ndudzo.

The Harare lawyer said it was also strange that Uriri participated in the December 5 elective congress as a Caps United representative just as other club representatives in their capacity as governors.

“As a matter of incontrovertible fact, the same Uriri in his capacity as chairman of Caps United FC participated in the elective congress of December 5, 2015. The validity and credibility of his vote entirely hinged on his exclusive qualification and representation as the sole chairman of the member of Zifa. It’ll certainly be scandalous for the same Uriri to now summersault and present Phiri as the club’s representative to the PSL,” said Ndudzo.