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Omega Sibanda
SIXTY-TWO councillors are eligible to vote for the Zifa board but, however, only 58 vote since there is no National First Division Altogether they are the congress which is made up of various affiliates eg PSL, Regions, Provinces, etc.

The board is called the Executive Committee (EXCO)

The EXCO is made up of 8 members, the president, vice-president and six board members.

The president, vice-president and four EXCO members are elected by the councillors while the chairman/chairlady of PSL and woman’s football are elected by their respective constituencies to fill up the remaining two slots in the board.

16 delegates represent PSL governors (club chairmen).

16 delegates represent regions which is four delegates per region.

10 provincial delegates represent the 10 provinces (chairpersons).

Four delegates represent women’s football.

Four delegates represent area zones (Bafa, Hafa, Gafa, etc)

Four delegates represent Naph and Nash (primary and secondary schools)

two delegates represent tertiary (colleges and universities)

One delegate represents Beach soccer

One delegate represents Five A-side

All these delegates are voted into office by their respective constituencies’ eg Highlanders, Dynamos, Caps United members vote for their executive members as per their constitution. The same happens with various other affiliates.

In essence this means that a majority of football members who are compliant with their constituencies are fully represented in the Zifa council and therefore their choice of EXCO (board) members is above board.

For the forthcoming elections (on December 5) there are four presidential candidates (three from Harare, one from central region), for vice-president there are two candidates (one from Harare and one from Bulawayo) and 10 board members (one from Bulawayo, one central region, one eastern region, and seven from Harare)

Football administration starts from various affiliates of Zifa some of which have lesser publicity. It boggles the mind when one stands up and says so and so doesn’t have the required football experience yet he/she might not even know these structures and worse their administrators. And by the way, four councillors from the PSL quota are relegated from the council once their team has been relegated from the PSL (next year it will be two).

It is not only the duty of councillors to elect the EXCO (board) but it is for everybody within the football family.

All the councillors representing various constituencies should be guided by you members before casting their votes. In short they should caucus before a delegate goes to vote for the EXCO. I always assume that this happens all the time.

So no finger pointing comrades.

We are all in this together. Unity of purpose is the key and team work is the way to go.

Good luck to all the contestants.

l Omega Sibanda is a former Zifa vice-president who is vying for the same position at the December 5 elections