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Nelson Matongorere

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA have set up a three-member disciplinary committee that will hear the case of technical director Nelson Matongorere  over allegations of improper conduct.
Matongorere was suspended indefinitely over allegations that he overstepped his authority when he voted for the World Player of the Year as well as the Coach of the Year.
Recommendations to suspend him were made on Saturday after a Zifa board meeting in the capital.
He also stands accused of having a hand in the disappearance of Caf C licence certificates last year.

Following the embarrassing incident in which an unknown person voted as the then Zimbabwe Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo and captain Esrom Nyandoro, Zifa immediately set up an investigation committee led by Zifa board competitions, Benedict Moyo.

Matongorere’s name is alleged to have appeared on the Fifa list of panelists as the Warriors captain who voted for Real Madrid and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Gerard Pique of Barcelona and Spain and the eventual winner, Barcelona and Argentina’s                        Lionel

Messi while for the Coach of the Year he  had Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson.
The investigations also covered the Caf B licence issue where a former Warriors coach was caught copying during the examination and was not expelled but instead, the Zifa technical director decided to disqualify Victoria Falls-based Dumile Mpofu who was showing the clueless coach answers.

“The committee has been set and is due to meet tomorrow where it’s expected to go through all the paperwork involved in the case before and then advise us when they will then hear the case,” said Zifa legal advisor Ralph Maganga.

Meanwhile, there is confusion over who will conduct the forthcoming Caf C licence coaching course in Victoria Falls following the suspension of Matongorere but indications are that Matongorere’s predecessor Gibson Homela might be roped in to take the participants through their paces.

Only two other persons other than the suspended Matongorere can conduct such a course in the country, Zifa board member competitions Benedict Moyo or Homela.

“I am a board member now and naturally there could be some conflict of interest, maybe Homela will conduct the course and then have a representative from Caf coming to do the examinations only,” said Moyo when contacted yesterday.

By Sunday, only seven coaches had paid the $400 course fee out of the expected 30 participants.
It will be for the first time that the course is held outside the capital, Harare.