Zimpapers Logo

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE are effectively out of the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers after failing to clear former Warriors’ coach José Claudinei Georgini’s outstanding salary despite an olive branch extended to the country by Fifa to offset the debt by tomorrow.Zifa owes the Brazilian coach, better known as Valinhos, $81,000 but Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Andrew Langa revealed that the debt still stood leaving the Warriors’ participation in the World Cup qualifiers mired in uncertainty.

“Zifa haven’t paid; that’s the situation on the ground. We’re still seized with the matter,” said Minister Langa, who is in Bulawayo en route to Sipepa in Tsholotsho for tomorrow’s sports and cultural gala.

The Minister, however, chose to remain positive saying it was not yet over for the country in as far as participating in the qualifiers is concerned.

“I wouldn’t want to say our dream is over; not yet. We’ll see what course of action we’ll take,” he said.

The draw for the world showpiece will be held on July 25 in Russia.

Earlier this month, Minister Langa told this publication that Fifa had extended an olive branch to Zimbabwe to pay by the end of May for the Warriors to be readmitted into the qualifiers.

“Fifa said we should pay the Valinhos debt by end of this month, failure to which we’ll kiss participation in the Fifa 2018 World Cup qualifiers goodbye. Zifa haven’t tabled a debt extinguishing strategy,” Minister Langa said then.

Zifa president Cuthbert Dube is in Zurich, Switzerland together with his chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze and board member Tawengwa Hara attending the Fifa congress and by the time they return home sometime next week, the country would be out of the most prestigious football tournament on the globe.

This publication, however, is reliably informed that the all-blundering national association never really had any plans in place to clear the debt as they spent most of their time dealing with personality clashes that bordered on threats and rumours of suspension and expulsion.

The threats targeted vocal Zifa board members calling for the removal of Dube on accusations of maladministration and incompetence.

Disgruntled Zifa councillors succeeded in booting out Dube as well as board members Fungai Chihuri and Hara before Fifa intervened arguing that the meeting violated Zifa statutes and directed that a properly constituted extraordinary meeting be held on June 16.

Apart from the Valinhos bill, Zifa also owes $150,000 to another former coach Tom Saintfiet of Belgium who has also approached the world football governing body.

Saintfiet was hired in September 2010 by the Dube led Zifa board but he never took charge of any official Warriors match as he was deported a few days before an African Nations qualifier against Cape Verde.

He was ejected from the country after Zifa had taken the Belgian to the Warriors’ training base at the National Sports Stadium before he had been issued with a work permit.

Saintfiet’s case is one of nine that have a writ of execution against Zifa all totalling a staggering $2,553,063.45 according to confidential information in possession of Chronicle Sport.

The document has a list of 110 creditors all owed a combined $6,135,965.50.

The other eight creditors with a writ of execution are Viking Security, who guarded the Zifa headquarters in Harare ($15,934), Traverze Travel who provided airfares, presumably for national teams ($65,747), Rainbow Towers, accommodation and meals ($52,069.30), New Ambassador Hotel, national teams and officials’ accommodation and meals ($25, 928), CBZ ($1,568,902), LED Travel and Tours, air tickets, car hire, bus hire ($196, 467.92), Pandhari Lodge, accommodation and meals ($232,987.23) and Norman Mapeza, salary arrears ($245,000).

The messenger of court recently attached Dube’s property over the Pandhari Lodge bill.

Meanwhile, the creditors’ list also shows that the beleaguered football association owes statutory bodies such as the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) $53, 069.70 and the Sports and Recreation Commission $108,381.46 in levies.

The debt also includes $869,044.30 as loan advanced by Buymore Investments, owned by Dube.