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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Warriors will be allowed to participate in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers on condition that Fifa lifts the country’s suspension at least two weeks before the start of the qualifiers.

There were fears that due to suspension, Zimbabwe and Kenya will be left out of the draw, but Caf clarified the conditions for the two nations to participate in the 2023 Afcon qualifiers when it revealed pot allocations.

Zimbabwe and Kenya are part of the 48 countries that qualified to participate in the second-round of the 34th edition of Total Energies Afcon qualifiers, whose final will be held in Côte d’Ivoire.

Zimbabwe are in Pot 3, while Kenya are in Pot 2 for the draw to be conducted next Tuesday, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“Reference to the suspension of Kenya and Zimbabwe by Fifa from all football activities, in case the suspension is not lifted two weeks before their first match day of the qualifiers; both associations will be considered as losers and eliminated from the competition.

Consequently, their groups will be composed of three teams.

The first and runner-up teams of those groups will qualify to the final tournament.

“Consequently, the two teams (Kenya and Zimbabwe) cannot be drawn in the same group in order to avoid having

one group with only two teams in case the suspension on both associations is not lifted,” Caf said.

Zifa Northern Region chairman Martin Kweza, who has been mandated by Zifa councillors to lead their bid to hold the extraordinary general meeting on April 23, believes the congress will find solutions to problems bedevilling domestic football.

Kweza said they have never been worried about Zimbabwe being out of the Afcon draw, adding that local football is in the doldrums because of poor administration.

He said reinstating Felton Kamambo and his board was not the panacea to problems bedevilling Zimbabwean football, neither is participating in continental competitions.

“The April 23 meeting is a time for councillors to self-introspect and make decisions good for football.

What we need to move away from is the view that Zifa exist merely to run a tournament and success is measured by participating at a tournament when standards of football are dropping.

We should participate to win and that hasn’t been happening.

“We mustn’t lose sleep on the basis of not participating.

There are many countries that haven’t been to the Afcon finals, but they are far much better than us.

Look at Zambia, the last time they were at Afcon finals was in 2015 and look at the facilities that they have developed using Fifa funds.

Their teams are doing well at continental tournaments even though they are not at Afcon. Should Zimbabwe continue being recipients of Fifa funds yet there’s nothing to show for it?

“If we’re saying participation at Afcon is a measure of success then we are wrong.

This is the time to take the first step towards fixing our football and hopefully after the meeting, Fifa will act accordingly and we get to focus on the qualifiers, but if we miss it because we want to correct the wrongs, so be it,” said Kweza.

Fifa Council suspended Zimbabwe’s membership in February after it ruled that the action taken by the Sports and Recreation Commission in November last year to suspend the Zifa board was third-party interference.

Fifa’s conditions for lifting of the suspension are that SRC annuls the suspension of the Felton Kamambo led Zifa board together with that of the association’s CEO Joseph Mamutse.

Written confirmation by the Kamambo board that they are in control of the Zifa premises unconditionally is needed by Fifa as part of the conditions for lifting of the suspension.

Furthermore, Fifa wants the SRC to withdraw its criminal case against Kamambo and three other Zifa executive committee members and also reverse the appointment of the restructuring committee.

The SRC believes he break from international football will afford time for the Zifa Restructuring Committee to lead the process of finding lasting solutions to the challenges being faced by the local football administrators.

The Zifa Restructuring Committee, chaired by lawyer Blessing Rugara, has begun its roll-out programmes and has since met Zifa staff and Zifa councillors.

It is expected to engage the public through hearings.

The committee has since engaged BDO Zimbabwe Chartered Accountants to conduct a forensic audit of Zifa.

They shall also review the Zifa constitution and develop a strategic plan with a four-year implementation cycle for consideration.

– @ZililoR