Anti-rebellion chorus grows louder

• Published date: 02 April 2018
• Publication title: The Herald

Sports Reporter. THE chorus condemning rebellious ZIFA board members Piraishe Mabhena and Felton Kamambo grew louder yesterday with more of the association's provincial leaders slamming the pair's bid to try and undermine the authorities in charge of the national game.

Mabhena and Kamambo quit their posts on the ZIFA board last week with the duo literally suggesting that their colleagues in the establishment Philip Chiyangwa, Omega Sibanda and Philemon Machana should also follow suit..

The pair claimed in their resignation letters that they were stepping down because the term of office of the ZIFA establishment expired on March 29. Those suggestions have not gone down well with the councillors..

Regional leaders Willard Manyengavana and Musa Mandaza and provincial chairmen for Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West, Gilbert Saika and Derick Matapure were the first to dismiss the resignations as a non-event that would be of no force or effect to the administration of the game. Yesterday the condemnation on the actions by Mabhena and Kamambo grew louder with Midlands province chairman Brian Chishanga, Naboth Magwizi of Masvingo and Manicaland's Kuziva Nyabeza adding their voices.

. Chishanga, one of the longest serving members of the ZIFA Congress said calls for the leadership to step down on the basis of an "expired term were baseless and will not change the status quo''.

"Kamambo and Mabhena are talking about the constitution but when we went for a meeting at Prophet Magaya's hotel in Waterfalls last year we said it was unconstitutional and that we needed 60 days' notice which led to the postponement of the meeting to 17 February when we then held the AGM at Crowne Plaza. "During that AGM we had some introspection on why the AGM didn't take place in 2017 and we agreed that if it had taken place we would have set the election process in motion earlier.

We then ratified the electoral committee that had been appointed and Kamambo and Mabhena sat in that meeting but none of them stood up to oppose even when we made a resolution to wait for guidelines from FIFA. "They should not try and hold the association to ransom now and try and cause unnecessary divisions saying everyone should go because their terms have expired.

We are not going to be hoodwinked by mob psychology which they are trying to create. "We agree with them that elections should be held and we do not fear elections but there should be a smooth transition of power through the election process...