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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter

THE Zimbabwe Football Association Southern Region leadership has refused to bow down to pressure from Division One clubs who are calling for the holding of an emergency general meeting on December 19.

Last month, the clubs had their attempt to force the regional executive to call for a meeting within five days hitting a brick wall, with the Zifa Southern Region chairman Tapela highlighting it was unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, the clubs filed another petition where 14 out of the 17 clubs appended signatures to a letter dated December 3, with the subject “Notice to hold an Emergency General Meeting” indicating that they will congregate on December 19 at the Zifa Bulawayo offices.

The Andrew Tapela board has since responded to the letter they have termed constitutionally irrelevant.

“The Board is in receipt of a letter where your Club official signed notifying the Board of the meeting in question. Of interest is that the signatures were appended on the 11th of November, 2022 while the petition was done on the 3rd of December, 2022. Certainly, these documents do not speak to each other. It therefore raises questions whether this petition is indeed genuine.

“The Board is challenging members to bring forward undisputed evidence that they once properly and constitutionally requested for an EGM and the request was either turned down or simply ignored. The truth is such a letter or petition does not exist,” reads a letter from Zifa to clubs.

“It is important to emphasise that the Members of the Board were elected purely and entirely on their professionalism and vast experience in football administration hence they will never accept a situation where they are micro-managed or coerced to do things that are unconstitutional.

“The Board is not in any way clinging to office, never, ever. It is merely interpreting the provisions of the constitution where it has found that members have serious shortcomings when it comes to understanding certain provisions of the Constitution,” it further reads.

The Southern region went on to threaten clubs who are pushing for the holding of the meeting.

“The Board would like to advise the signatories to the petition that their involvement in these unconstitutional meetings and actions is certainly bringing the game of football into disrepute. Such actions have serious consequences. Finally, be advised that your notice to hold an EGM is constitutionally defective and therefore cannot proceed under any provision of the ZIFA Constitution.”-@innocentskizoe