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Nhau Correspondent
ON November 18, bickering ZIFA reached full circle, but there seemed to be nothing gained along the way – just a long beak to help eat their own eggs.
PSL chief executive Kenny Ndebele, one of a few symbols of football that remains in the country, was reminded by the association that he is just a pawn in a game of chess.
He was accused of undermining the association and involved in behaviour that went against ZIFA in every aspect.
However, the accusations were levelled against a strong chess piece at the edge of the board, away from the real confrontations between ZIFA and PSL clubs.
“We refer to the above. It has come to the association’s attention that there are various media statements that are being attributed to yourself.
“The said statements demean the standing of the association and are meant to bring the game of football into disrepute,” ZIFA said in a statement.
At the end of the statement, they concluded that the accusations did not “constitute a charge for misconduct but it’s merely investigative in nature”.
In summary, ZIFA’s allegations are that Ndebele was fighting them during the FIFA Covid-19 relief funds confrontation.
Reality on the ground though is that the position taken by the PSL CEO, was far from being his own.
And his sentiments on ZIFA giving PSL a raw deal was one shared by a lot of the PSL governors.
Apart from utterances made in articles written in print media, Ndebele is also accused of writing to SRC without the association’s approval.
This is against the background that ZIFA failed to ensure football return to the country despite receiving a lot of money from FIFA which they insisted on sharing with the ‘whole football family’.
With indications that government could soon get to the bottom of the FIFA Covid-19 grants issue, ZIFA must find ways of sharing the blame with everyone on the table.
They have made a flying start.
The idea is to find someone else to blame for the failed ‘operation restart football’.
Armed with US millions in FIFA grants, the association failed to start the game while their counterparts, Zimbabwe Cricket, introduced the National Premier League and Women Franchise tournaments, with way less.
ZIFA have since given Ndebele an ultimatum to respond in seven days. He was asked to respond to the following:
(i) You confirm whether or not the aforementioned statements attributed to you were said by you to the media houses.
(ii) In the event that you deny having said the statements, a press conference must be held whereat you deny ever having made the statements.
(iii) In the event that you confirm having said the statements, the circumstances surrounding utterances of same are required.
(iv) Confirm whether or not you authored the aforementioned letter to the SRC and the basis upon which the allegations against the association contained therein are made.
(v) You were requested by the general secretary of the association to make available the accounting details of the PSL Clubs. You failed to do without any reasonable excuse. The association request that you furnish us with the reason for failure to provide the accounting details as requested.
Put simply, the above statements are a declaration of war. It will be a war between an association that failed to organise a two-week mini-league tournament and PSL, who normally run a league programme throughout the year.
From another perspective, ZIFA, with its long beak, has officially pressed the self-destruct button. Scientists that proved that chickens begin eating their eggs if calcium levels are low, must also have had ZIFA in mind.
Let the battle begin! Nhau/Indaba
