Tinashe Sambiri|Zimbabwe Centre for Equal Opportunities president Paddington Japajapa has threatened to mobilize football fans to protest at the Sports and Recreation Commission’s decision to suspend the ZIFA board.
Japajapa, a veteran football administrator and former Caps United public relations manager, blasted the Sports and Recreation Commission for bringing the game of football into disrepute.
Below is part of Japajapa’s argument on the feud between ZIFA and the Sports Commission…
Whilst Mhlotswa who has got no experience at all in dealing with Soccer administrative issues, a former Chairman of Polo Association of Zimbabwe is better Placed in dealing with horse riding issues than soccer, we demand that he must stop messing up with the world,s most Beautiful Game, as enaunciated by Brazilian Soccer legend Adson Arantes Donacimento, better known as Pele.
The clueless and direction less Gerald Mlotswa SRC Board wants to be seen to be doing something, after years of failing to achieve anything meaningful for Sports in the Country.
All previous SRC Boards in Zimbabwe have got well documented historical evidence of failure in terms of Sports Administration, in the country, ever since attainment of Independence from 1980, up to date. Instead of SRC disbanding the ZIFA Board actually the Government must disband the SRC Board itself,for doing nothing in terms of Sports Development.
For the Mhlotswa Administration to vent its anger at an innocent ZIFA Board, that has been working very hard under very difficult Circumstances,created by the harsh economic environment that has been brought about by the ever misfiring and corrupt Zanu PF Regime, lead by President Mnangagwa, is so surprising and a shame.
Surely what else does this helpless and clueless SRC Board expect from the Felton Kamambo Zifa Board, after they managed to qualify for the January 2022, Africa Nations Cup finals in Cameroun.SRC cannot accuse Kamambo,s Board for failing to qualify for the world Cup finals, in Quatar in 2024, because ever since Independence in 1980, no Zimbabwean National Soccer team has ever qualified for the World Cup Finals.
Perfomance of all previous Zifa Boards that have ever held ZIFA office since 1980, is judged by Qualification of the National Soccer teams for AFCON after every two years.
The spurious accusations that have been levelled against Kamambo,s Zifa Board do not constitute commission of serious offence, that warrants disbandment.
The SRC Board falsely accused the Zifa of financial misappropriation,an accusation that has been rebutted by the Magistrate Courts and Police Investigations.
kamambo and his Board Members were recently exonerated by the courts after a full trial, if there was any true misappropriation of funds, then the Courts were suppose to find them guilty and convict them to jail sentence.Mhlostwa and his rag tag SRC gang also tried to mislead the Nation by falsely accusing the ZIFA Board Members of Sexual harassment of female referees, why is there not even one single Report with ZRP, by the alleged victims of the said sexual harassment, sexual harassment qualifies for criminal prosecution under the Criminal Law Code and reform Act, which means its all cooked up stories, in an attempt to tarnish the good images of the current ZIFA Board Members.
As Zimbabweans we cannot allow our Beautiful game of Soccer to be destroyed by a bunch of misguided SRC Board, who are using there political connections to ban innocent ZIFA Board Members.As ZCEO we are demanding for the immediate revocation of the SRC banishment order imposed on the Felton Kamambo ZIFA Board, and immediate reinstatement of the Board to their previous Status Quo.
We cannot allow ourselves to be abused and taken advantage of by Gerald Mhlotswa’s Political connections with the first family.
Failure to lift the illegal and unlawful ban of the ZIFA Board by the clueless bunch at SRC, means we shall be left with no option.
As Zimbabweans who want to see our National Soccer team participating at AFCON Finals in January 2022, we shall apply for Permission under (MOPA) Maintenance of Public Order Act, to the Officer Commanding Harare Police District,for permission to demonstrate against those SRC Board Members, so that they can resign and leave office with immediate effect. Millions of Soccer loving Zimbabweans cannot be prejudiced of their constitutional right to watch their beloved National Soccer team playing at AFCON Finals in January 2022.
Most of theose SRC Board Members have never played soccer since childhood, hence they understand little about Soccer Administration.
