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Felix Tangawarima

Dingilizwe Ntuli Sports Editor
THE Warriors could be in danger of being barred from participating in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals due to the bizarre goings on obtaining in the local game’s administration at national level.

Zimbabwe football administration is locked in internal meltdown triggered by the attempted dissolution of governing body Zifa led by its president Philip Chiyangwa and his lieutenants, and endorsed by the association’s Assembly on June 4.

After years of organisational chaos caused by election scandals and financial turmoil, the new Zifa administration led by Chiyangwa elected into office on December 5, 2015, promised to reinvent Zimbabwean football through sound and transparent management, but in just six months, they have left the future of the national game in doubt.

Zifa was suddenly dissolved on June 4 without following proper procedure as required by the association’s constitution. The National Football Association of Zimbabwe (Nafaz) was formed and officials claimed that its registration with the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) was a mere formality, but after several failed bids, local football administration seems to be more chaotic than previously thought.

Attempts to register Nafaz and to officially and legally dissolve and deregister Zifa have flopped and now the Chiyangwa administration has acknowledged that there were irregularities in the attempted disbanding and formation of a new association.

They have now agreed that Zifa still exists and say they are reverting to the association they have been attempting to dissolve, but the problem is that they had fired most of their employees and informed Fifa that Zifa had ceased to exist.

Despite the world football governing body emphasising the need to follow proper procedure and the country’s laws in dissolving Zifa and registering a new association, Fifa was still misinformed that everything was being done above board and legally.

As a result, Fifa ceased recognition of Zifa as per Chiyangwa’s request and it remains to be seen what happens now that the Nafaz project has been “abandoned”.

According to an email written by Fifa refereeing coordinator Dominic Chielens to Fifa referee development officer Carlos Henriques and other Fifa referees instructors, including Felix Tangawarima, titled “Dissolution of Zifa and registration of a new association” dated June 21, 2016, Zimbabwe seems to be out in the cold.

“The Zimbabwe Football Association is undergoing a voluntary dissolution process and a new Association will be established in Zimbabwe. As it stands, Zifa’s participation in any current/future Fifa programmes is on hold until Fifa accepts the new association. The issue is being handled with the guidance of Fifa Corporate Legal,” wrote Chielens in his email.

“This situation affects all educational courses (including referee courses). Any planned referees courses must be postponed until Fifa confirms the new organisation. Any Zifa personnel who you might have been in contact with have had their contracts terminated. We have agreed with the Zifa president that Fifa will contact the new association so that we can establish new dates for the various courses,” the email reads.

Sources said this means all courses Zifa had applied for in 2016 have been suspended and no new courses will be approved. The goal project for a new Zifa head office is also affected and so have new projects funds for fundraising and infrastructure.

They said the danger now is that Zifa will not be invited to Caf and Fifa anymore.

“The danger is that Zimbabwe’s participation in Fifa tournaments will be reviewed and this could affect our participation in the 2017 African Cup of Nations that we recently qualified for. Fifa grants for June and September will also be suspended and Zifa will lose its membership in various Caf and Fifa committees as well,” said a well placed source.

The source said while it was good that those that formed Nafaz had seen the light, it should not be automatic for them to revert to Zifa without elections being held because the dissolution was done in violation of the Zifa constitution.

“How do people that deliberately violated Zifa’s constitution put things right in an organisation they are not interested in? The only way out of this is a new Zifa where fresh elections are held, starting from the regions because the present leaders forfeited their mandate the day they decided to dissolve Zifa and form Nafaz without consulting their constituencies or following the correct procedure,” the source said.