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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA Southern Region has postponed its combined extraordinary meeting which had been scheduled for today. The general meeting of the Southern Region Soccer League, Bulawayo Province and Junior League which was set for Homestead Conference Centre along George Silundika Street in Bulawayo will now be held after the national association’s July 9 assembly.

Tumediso Mokoena, the Southern Region board member confirmed the cancelation of today’s meeting.

“We’ve communicated to all our members notifying them about the postponement of the meeting. We will come up with another date after attending the national meeting set for July 9,” said Mokoena.

Today’s conference was meant to be an appraisal meeting on the formation of the National Football Association of Zimbabwe (Nafaz).

The regional leadership had invited Southern Region Division One Soccer League clubs and affiliates of the Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, which include the junior league and area zones to attend the meeting.

It is highly likely that the Musa Mandaza-led Southern Region executive wants to hear from the Phillip Chiyangwa national board on what direction football is headed following developments that the dissolution of Zifa was illegal.

In an earlier interview, Mandaza said the meeting is aimed at addressing confusion surrounding the ongoing dissolution of Zifa and formation of Nafaz.

Zifa, which is choking with debts close to $7 million, had moved to dissolve the association citing bankruptcy at an extraordinary general meeting held on June 4.

The immediate birth of Nafaz was seen as a move by the Philip Chiyangwa-led executive to start on a fresh slate, but now the push for a new association has left the country in danger of being kicked out of Fifa organized events.

“From time to time we’ve briefings with the affiliates and the July 2 meeting is meant to appraise our members on the developments that have seen the birth of Nafaz. They need to hear everything from the horse’s mouth on what transpired, leading to the formation of Nafaz instead of relying on the media. They can’t stay in the dark forever and I believe by the time we go for the July 2 meeting, a lot would have happened,” said Mandaza then.

Our sister paper Sunday News reported that some Southern Region affiliates were planning on demanding new elections at today’s meeting, as they are unhappy that they were not consulted over the process leading to the dissolution of Zifa, alleging the association’s constitution was not followed.

“From what we’re hearing, Nafaz gave our (Southern Region) executive a new four-year term of office, so it would only be fair that we have elections and select new representatives. The agenda of the (July 2) meeting simply says dissolution of Zifa, but we feel they should have added elections since this is a new organisation,” said the official.

Another administrator said the dissolution should have kicked off from lower structures with elections being held at all Nafaz bodies and not just at board level.

“We don’t even know who gave them the mandate to vote on our behalf at the elections. If we’re starting afresh, then it should have been done from the bottom,” he said.

Responding to these issues, Mandaza said: “We don’t want to address national things because we’re only but a small fraction of the bigger cake. National matters will be addressed by the presidium, Chiyangwa and (vice-president) Omega Sibanda. As a region, we must move together step by step and mustn’t lose focus. Our focus should be playing football; making sure that the teams that go into the league stay there for as long as possible.