THERE was drama at a Johannesburg hotel in South Africa yesterday when a Zifa delegation was barred from attending the Cosafa annual general meeting where the organisation was reviewing its 2019 performance and making resolutions for this year.
Zifa president Felton Kamambo was leading his association’s delegation, which included acting vice-president Philemon Machana, chief executive Joseph Mamutse and lawyer Chenaimwoyo Gumiro.
The quartet had ignored a Cosafa warning that they would not be allowed into the indaba on the grounds that Zifa had outstanding financial obligations with the regional body in line with its statutes.
It is understood that the Namibian and Angolan football associations also faced the same fate. But unlike Zifa, Angola and Namibia did not show up at the meeting’s venue in Johannesburg.
On arrival at the hotel, the Zifa delegation found their way blocked by the security team that was manning the entrance to the boardroom.
Last night, Zifa issued a statement on the Johannesburg debacle.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association wishes to inform all football loving stakeholders of the outcome of the 2020 Cosafa Annual General Meeting.
“Regrettably, the Zifa delegation was denied entry into the conference room by hired security details that were placed for that purpose on the allegations of not being in good standing. This was despite efforts by Zifa to pay any dues through Fifa over and above overtures made since Friday to get Cosafa secretariat to provide other details, invoices and/or amounts that may have been owing.
“Such information was deliberately withheld for the entire week before and during the AGM and was only revealed after the meeting in the form of two additional invoices.
“Zifa is convinced this was deliberately done to ensure the association would not have a say in congress deliberations, especially after having given to Cosafa prior notice to move a motion to discuss the various transgressions by the Cosafa president.
More fully appear in the 2019 Cosafa audit report, which included questionable payments done to Dr Chiyangwa, which Zifa believed were excessive, including proposed redressive action to be taken.
“Zifa is however happy to inform all football loving stakeholders that the association has neither been banned nor suspended, but was simply stopped from attending the AGM.
“Soon after the AGM, Cosafa secretariat finally gave the Zifa delegation two invoices of R10 000 and USD$3 000 for 2020 affiliation and the appeal on the Warriors ban respectively,’’ Zifa said.-State media
