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US$60 000 compensation being claimed by for-mer Warriors coach Valinhos through the world soccer governing body.
Fifa had given Zifa until yesterday to settle the matter in which Valinhos wants to be paid US$60 000, which he claims is his outstanding salary from May to December 2008.
But the association wants Fifa to give them another 14 working days to complete their probe over the matter and give a comprehensive report.
The current Zifa leadership is querying Valinhos’ demands, arguing that they had been made to understand that the coach had long been paid by the time they assumed office on March 27 last year.
Zifa have since forwarded the matter to their legal representative Ralph Maganga who in turn wrote to Fifa explaining the association’s position.
Valinhos was fired by Zifa in November 2008 after he had failed to guide the Warriors to the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola and the first World Cup in Africa which was staged in South Africa between June and July last year.
The Brazilian coach, through his attorney Ana Motta, then sought recourse through Fifa with the world body in turn writing a final letter of demand to Zifa in which they gave the association until March 10 to settle the matter.
Fifa legal counsel in the Players Status department Rolf Tanner, in his letter to Zifa, also gave the local soccer body a chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the dispute between Valinhos and them.
Tanner also sent a dossier to Zifa of all the correspondence that had been going on between Valinhos and the world body as well as a letter of acknowledgement from former Zifa president Wellington Nyatanga in 2008.
“We would like to inform you that Mr Claudinei Georgini (Valinhos) has lodged a claim with Fifa against your association in connection with the employment contract your association concluded with the captioned coach in January 2008.
“Please find enclosed a copy of all the correspondence received in this matter so far for your perusal.
“From the content of the correspondence received, we noted that Mr Georgini deems that your association has not fully complied with its contractual obligations derived from the above-mentioned contract and consequently request the payment of US$60 000 as outstanding salary.
“In view of the above we kindly invite your association to either find an amicable solution with the coach in question and inform us accordingly or provide our service with its position in response to the claim of the coach, along with any relevant documents it may deem useful in its support by no later than 10 March 2011.
“Please take note that should we not hear from you within the aforementioned deadline, we will have to assume that you do not wish to submit any comments in response to the claim and/or that no amicable solution could be found between the parties and we shall in that case, proceed to submit the matter to our competent decision-making body for consideration and a formal decision on the basis of the documents on file (cf.art.9 par.3 of the rules governing the procedures of the Players’ Status Committee and Dispute Resolution Chamber,”’ read part of Tanner’s letter.
Valinhos who was on a US$15 000 a month salary was originally owed US$120 000, which Nyatanga acknowledged in his letter to the coach dated November 28, 2008.
But it is the balance of US$60 000 which the coach who managed just one win – a 2-0 triumph over Namibia at home in the 2010 World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign – is now demanding from Zifa.
However, Maganga said yesterday he had written to Fifa seeking an extension of the deadline by a further fortnight in order to given them more time to establish the circumstances surrounding the outstanding figure.
Maganga insisted that Zifa do not believe that they still owe Valinhos money and that it had been a closed chapter.
It is against this background that Zifa want more time to investigate what really transpired.
The Harare lawyer said fired Zifa chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya had indicated to the current board that the debt had been settled through a withdrawal done on funds made available through the Fifa Financial Assistance Programme.
Zifa, just like fellow Fifa affiliates receive an annual grant of US$250 000 under the FAP package.
“We have requested an extension for 14 wor-king days because we do not appreciate where the claim is coming from because Henrietta had made the board understand that she facilitated that payment through the FAP funds.
“The explanation was that she actually used funds that were meant for Women’s Football development under the FAP funds to settle the debt and I remember that the Women’s Football League was not happy about that at all.
“But there was no hand-over, take-over done between Henrietta and Jonathan (Mashingaidze) when she left office and hence there is a lot of information which is not clear.
“There was also no hand-over, take over between the current board and the previous board and this has made things difficult,” Maganga said.
Maganga said they would now seek Rushwaya’s assistance in getting the Valinhos matter brought to finality.
“Naturally she is aware of what happened and it is the norm that she assists on this matter so we will engage her.
“Fifa wants our input first and without any documentation to explain what happened would be futile and they will just deduct the money from our grant,” Maganga said.
In the performance-related contract of employment signed between Zifa and Valinhos, Nyatanga and Rushwaya represented the association, the Brazilian was given US$15 000 as signing on fees.
He was then entitled to US$15 000 as monthly salary payable on or before the end of the month.
Valinhos had also been promised US$100 000 as qualifying fee if he had managed to take the Warriors to the Nations Cup in Angola.
The Brazilian could have also pocketed ano-ther US$250 000 as qualifying fees if he had succeeded in guiding the Warriors to a maiden World Cup final.
He however, failed dismally on both fronts and Nyatanga – in terminating his contract – also indicated that Zifa would then seek Fifa’s assistance in paying him his dues as the association was “facing financial difficulties”.
But with Zifa still to settle half the money they acknowledged they owe Valinhos, the coach has through his attorney successfully engaged Fifa’s support on the matter.
Zifa also owe the coach who succeeded Valinhos – Sunday Chidzambwa – his outstanding salaries with the former Dynamos director of coaching, who is now based in South Africa demanding US$70 000.
Chidzambwa, who is coaching South African Division One outfit Black Leopards, has since taken his case to the High Court in Harare.