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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zifa Southern Region has proposed constitutional ammendments that seek to drastically weaken the Premier Soccer League.

According to a document signed on Friday October 15 by regional representatives titled, “Proposed amendments to the constitution from the Southern Region”, the region wants 10 articles of the constitution amended, with the biggest being the reduction of PSL delegates to the Zifa congress from the present 16 to just four.

The document circulating among Zifa councillors was signed by Zifa Southern Region board member Tumediso Mokoena Ndlovu, acting Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province chairman Francis Ntuta and Zifa Matabeleland North chairman Denis Tshuma.

The move, according to the document, is aimed at maintaining a “balance of power within the congress”. In 2013, the Zifa assembly ratified a clause which increased the number of PSL representatives at congresses from six to 16, meaning each topflight team was represented in the Zifa assembly, which was expanded to 62.

However, the Zifa Southern Region led by Musa Mandaza feels Zifa erred in allowing an increase in PSL’s seats, although most of the councillors and affiliates that approved the 2013 constitutional amendments are still part of the system.

The Zifa Southern Region boss said the proposals were being driven by a desire to satisfy other needs that haven’t been fulfilled.

“It’s our duty to look into the amendments to be done when we feel there is need to. You will never capture everything that satisfies most people. There are grey areas that we feel need to be looked at and it’s nothing personal,” Mandaza said.

He shot down suggestions that the move to reduce PSL representation in the assembly was meant to stifle the topflight league and eventually collapse the country’s football flagship.

“It’s wrong, no one is supposed to swallow anyone and everything is meant for the development of the game. The PSL is an affiliate of Zifa and we’re saying that the clubs, which affiliate to the PSL, must send four representatives which is equal to the number of other Zifa affiliates, which are regions, to the assembly. All the affiliates are equal and that is what we’re advocating for,” Mandaza said.

However, critics argue that all PSL clubs deserve to attend the Zifa assembly, which is domestic football’s supreme decision-making body.

Unlike some “ghost” affiliates with inactive and questionable structures that only appear during election time, PSL is Zifa’s cash cow, as it directly pays levies over and above its affiliation fees; something the regions are struggling to do.

Some Southern Region clubs are not in good standing, as they owe the league affiliation fees.

Mandaza questioned PSL’s contributions, saying they are not the only ones playing a part in the development of the game.

“They (PSL) have plunged funds towards grassroots development where they take players. The lower leagues also play key roles in development of the game, so that is why we’re saying everyone should be treated the same,” said Mandaza.

Besides changes affecting PSL, the Southern Region also wants the Zifa headquarters to be moved to 160 Enterprise Road, Harare, at a property owned by Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa. Zifa’s offices at 53 Livingstone Avenue have been under lock and key for some unknown reasons and

Mandaza could not say why they would want to rent Chiyangwa’s offices when their Livingstone Avenue property remains unoccupied.

They also want regional chairpersons back in the Zifa board after their automatic seats were abolished by the 2013 constitution that reduced the size of the executive committee to eight.

The Southern Region also wants an annulment of the two-term limit for the Zifa president and board.

“If the people feel the present people in office are doing a great job, they must vote them in. That limit is discriminatory and Fifa is against discrimination,” said Mandaza.

The Southern Region is also proposing that the vice-president of the association be part of the emergency committee, arguing that he is part of the presidium and should always be part of decisions the emergency committee makes.

At present, the emergency committee has the association’s president, board member finance and two other members of the executive.

@ZililoR