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Cuthbert Dube

Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
THE Zimbabwe Football Association will meet on Saturday in Harare to discuss among other items, the contentious issue of relegation in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League. Zifa want 25 percent of the teams to be relegated to accommodate clubs from the four Division One leagues. It is unprecedented in world football to demote such a high figure.

Over the years there have been complaints that the many Division One leagues have weakened the quality of the game in the Premiership with a majority of the promoted teams getting relegated in the first or second year.

The PSL clubs are not happy with having four clubs facing the chop. They want the teams from Division One to engage in a play off to choose the two that will play in the Premiership next season

According to a notice sent to assembly members last week in Chronicle’s possession, Item 12 is on promotion and demotion of teams.
Zifa will also present audited accounts for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons. It is an anomaly that Zifa have been conducting business without audited accounts.

Sports bodies like other corporate entities are expected to subject themselves to auditors to safeguard public and sponsors’ investment.
Zifa was operating without audited accounts and many are wondering how the association was coming up with budgets without such vital information.

According to the agenda, there will also be a presentation of the 2014 elections report.
Cuthbert Dube was retained as Zifa boss and is deputised by Omega Sibanda who beat Elkanah Dube to the post.

The elections had their own drama, creating lasting wedges between some candidates amid allegations of vote buying and irregularities in the exercise.

Standing committees are expected to be ratified at the meeting as the matter appears on the agenda. It is believed the Eastern Region and Southern Region are not happy with the composition of some of the sub committees and would like to have an open discussion at the meeting on Saturday.

Sources within Zifa say on any other business there could be a discussion on the Zifa president’s powers. According to the constitution, only Dube can fire chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze and councillors want  this amended.

The new assembly would be under pressure to prove that they are different from the previous one which was famous for hero worshipping and praise singing of some of the senior board members.

Football in Zimbabwe has been on a downward slide over the years and recently sunk to its lowest level when the Warriors were booted out of the Afcon preliminaries by Tanzania.

The Mighty Warriors were also knocked out by Zambia.
To add salt to injury Highlanders remained banned from the Champions League because of an error made by a Zifa staffer for which no disciplinary action was taken.

The Zimbabwe Under-17 and 20 teams were left out of the continental qualifiers.
Zifa insist  this has nothing to do with their failure to fulfil matches against Angola and Congo two years ago.

A generation has lost an opportunity to be exposed to international football in age group competitions because of Zifa. The national association’s reputation is so soiled that sponsorships have become hard to get with only the Premiership basking in corporate confidence though with a real challenge to do better.