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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

Fifa has decided to take a wait and see attitude on the football developments in the country that saw the Sports and Recreation Commission flexing it’s muscle and slapping the entire Zifa executive committee with a suspension.

The bold decision by the Gerald Mlotshwa chaired SRC board was taken on Tuesday as the supreme sports body finally cracked the whip on the blundering Zifa which analysts said was long overdue as the national football association was now behaving as if they were above the dictates of the SRC Act.

Responding to inquiries from Chronicle Sport on the consequences of the SRC decision to suspend the Felton Kamambo led executive committee especially on whether a ban from international football was looming for Zimbabwe, Fifa said they were keeping an eagle’s eye on the developments but can not issue a comprehensive position at the moment.

“Fifa is closely monitoring this matter. Please understand we cannot comment further at this stage,” said Fifa in their emailed response Friday morning.

The suspension of the Zifa executive committee has divided opinion among football fans in the country with those in support of the SRC saying it was the right decision while the Zifa foot soldiers have blasted the Commission arguing that the move will lead to a definite ban by Fifa, citing the recent developments in Kenya.

However the Kenyan situation is parallel to the Zimbabwean one since SRC never demanded Zifa accounts to check on how Fifa money was used but instead they asked Zifa to account for public funds in line with it’s oversight role as enshrined in the SRC Act. Infact the SRC Act empowers the Commission to deregister any National Sports Association that doesn’t meet the requirements of the Act.

SRC said that was the basis of the suspension although they are other many transgressions by Zifa such as disregarding of COVID-19 protocols,  constitutional deliquency and failure to act on the sexual harassment allegations.