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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
FIFA will not be moved by the Zifa electoral noise that has also been triggered by the inconsequential resignations of two of Zifa’s executive committee members, Piraishe Mabhena and Felton Kamambo on Wednesday.

The duo quit their posts in what the association’s leadership said was a co-ordinated attack on the organisation given it came on the same day Trevor Carelse-Juul, a serial campaigner for the top post in domestic football who has lost in the last two occasions, released a statement sharply criticising the state of the game in the country.

Carelse-Juul, a South Africa-based businessman, claimed in his statement the Warriors had “failed’’ to qualify for the 2018 World Cup finals when in actual fact the national team never took part in the tournament after being expelled without kicking a ball.

It has also since emerged that one of the two former executive members, Kamambo, was actually living on the benevolence of the Zifa leadership who could have lawfully asked him to step aside from the executive a long time ago as the Midlands-based official had been missing executive meetings without any reasonable explanation.

This publication has it on good authority that Kamambo has previously missed three consecutive Zifa executive committee meetings since his election. This was  in violation of the Zifa Constitution article 32.9.

According to our Harare Bureau, the three remaining principals at Zifa — president Philip Chiyangwa, his deputy Omega Sibanda and finance guru Philemon Machana — said they would remain in charge of the game and dismissed the decision by their fellow board members to walk away as a “non-event’’ while they also received a lot of support from the game’s family.

They insisted they would continue to await guidance from Fifa on the association’s roadmap and would not be moved by the resignations of Mabhena and Kamambo.

After the Zifa Congress held in the capital this year, the association informed Fifa of the resolutions which included amendment of the Electoral Code subject to Fifa’s approval.

In a response to emailed questions on the progress regarding the Zifa Congress resolutions especially the amendment of the Electoral Code, Fifa said it was still studying the documents.

“Fifa has received correspondence from Zifa on the latter’s situation, which we are currently studying. We have no further comment to make at this stage,” read the world football mother-body’s correspondence to this publication.

Zifa Northern Region chairman, Willard Manyengavana, and his Southern Region counterpart Musa Mandaza said the duo’s resignations would not impact on the lifespan of the structure which emerged from a fruitful annual meeting on February 17.

“It’s their right and I don’t blame them but what is clear is that life goes on. That they have resigned is neither here nor there because I am sure the executive can easily deal with that and there is a provision for co-option,’’ said Manyengavana.

“I don’t believe that the Zifa Congress should go simply because there are some board members who have resigned. In as much as we will not hold onto positions forever I believe that there will be elections at some point and we will go through that process.

“Whoever has resigned or wants to resign, to me I take it as a sign of being tired, and replacements will always be found and the rest of the congress will continue as we wait for elections to take place.’’

Mandaza said the regions and the provinces stood guided by their election roadmap.

“As regions and provinces we stand guided by the executive committee and the president on the roadmap. He is the one who can trigger the process through a proclamation and then the electoral committee oversees the process,’’ said Mandaza.

“I, however, want to make it clear that there is no crisis in the assembly, there has never been a crisis. We have all done our annual meetings in the lower echelons and we have the mandate of our constituencies and they are all aware that we are awaiting the guidance of the board on the elections.

“My only worry is that Fifa have taken a little longer to respond to our request for guidance.’’

Chiyangwa is in Madagascar at the invitation of Caf where a number of high-powered football leaders from around the world, including Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, will meet this Easter weekend.

“If Chiyangwa’s term of office had expired, he would not have received that invitation from Caf to meet with the world’s top football leaders during this Easter weekend in Madagascar,’’ Sibanda told our Harare Bureau. — @skhumoyo2000.