THE Zifa extra-ordinary general meeting called by a group of councillors is set to go ahead this morning in Harare.
BY SPORTS REPORTER
Zifa has 58 councillors and a third (19) is allowed to call for the meeting, although there were indications late last night that members of the Premier Soccer League board of governors, 16 in total, would not take part, leaving 42 available.
Premier Soccer League chairman Twine Phiri was not available for comment.
Last week, a Fifa delegation said they saw no problem in the meeting going ahead as long as all constitutional provisions were met and the councillors want to ensure that this was done to avoid sanctions from the world football governing body.
A source said: “What we don’t want is to be caught on the wrong side of the statutes when Fifa has spoken about this issue. We want to have the correct numbers.
“We want to discuss pertinent issues related to our football and the Zifa leadership must not be afraid of anything. . . but certainly we can discuss the state of the game at national level.”
The councillors said their meeting would have a presentation on the Zifa President’s Activity Report, Zifa creditors list, the 2018 World Cup ban by Fifa, the participation and funding of the national teams and the way forward and the entire Zifa leadership has been invited.
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The councillors wrote to Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze after the association stated that a proper Extra Ordinary Meeting would be convened on June 27 in Harare.
“We acknowledge receipt of your notice to reschedule the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to 27 June 2015 and the reasons for the postponement cited therein,” the councillors said in their notice of the meeting.
“May you be reminded that more than a third of the Assembly Members requested for an urgent Extraordinary General Meeting in a letter sent to you by the signed Assembly Members on 16 March 2015.
“You turned down the request on condition that the requested agenda items were to be discussed at the AGM on 25 April 2015 despite the urgency of our request.
“In terms of the Zifa Constitution, you are mandated to call for such meetings within 90 days if a third of the Assembly members requested for such a meeting.
“In view of your notice to postpone the AGM to 27 June 2015, we the undersigned feel that you are violating the Constitution which you must protect. The same Constitution allows the undersigned members to proceed with the requested meeting if no joy is received from you and your Board.
“We now advise that the Extraordinary General Meeting, as requested on 16 March 2015, shall be held on 16 may 2015 in terms of the ZIFA Constitution Article 28. “
But Mashingaidze wrote back yesterday to members of the assembly saying: “There have been efforts by some members of the assembly to create an impression that the meeting has been convened with the express approval of the Zifa president and Fifa.
“Fifa, at no point, do they involve themselves in micro-managing member associations and an engagement of Fifa has already taken place.
The association would like to inform the assembly that Fifa’s mission brief was to ascertain Zifa’s financial situation as they have engaged Government, the Sports Commission and the creditors on rehabilitating Zimbabwean football.
“At no point did Fifa direct Zifa to wind up business. The association would like to urge members of the assembly to allow football to get out of the woods.
“The association has international assignments which require resources and the servicing of these assignments should be our main pre-occupation.”
