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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA has urged Premier Soccer League clubs to have a full complement of junior teams to enjoy the full benefits of funding from Fifa grants.

Zifa vice-president, Omega Sibanda, made the call during his campaign ahead of the association’s elective congress on Sunday when he will face former Southern Region chairman Gift Banda, while Felton Kamambo is battling it out with Phillip Chiyangwa.

Six candidates, Bryton Malandule, Sugar Chagonda, Mlungisi Moyo, Stanley Chapeta, Chamu Chiwanza and incumbent Phillimon Machana will square off for the four executive committee posts.

Sibanda also said Zifa will ensure that schools and tertiary football calendars are in sync with the Zifa football calendar, adding that they will also be in line to receive the Fifa grants.

“We will make sure that the National Association of Primary School Heads (Naph) and their secondary counterparts are properly aligned to the Zifa calendar and that they also receive the full grants, which other members receive. These grants are not for individual clubs, but are specifically for junior development.

“In all our provinces we have got junior structures and some of our PSL teams have got junior teams and it’s those teams, those provinces as well as women’s football that will fully benefit from these grants.

“I am therefore urging all Premier Soccer League teams to have junior structures so that they can access these funds for the purpose of developing grassroots football, but all this and more will be revealed by the president Phillip Chiyangwa at the weekend congress,” said Sibanda.

Chiyangwa and his lieutenants have managed to bring financial sanity to the association in the two years they have been in office, while the senior national men’s team has won back-to-back Cosafa Cup titles and are also on course to qualifying for the Total Caf Afcon.

Various representative national teams are competing in different tournaments.