Zifa suffer major embarrassment

You cannot recall Chiyangwa, Cosafa rules

Makomborero Mutimukulu

ZIFA have egg on their face after the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) told the Felton Kamambo led board that it has no right to recall Phillip Chiyangwa as the regional football bloc’s president.

The smack comes after Zifa, in a shocking act which revealed their possible deficiency in understanding football statutes, had written to Cosafa seeking to “recall” Chiyangwa.

The local soccer governing body accused Chiyangwa of being part of a cartel that caused commotion in the Warriors camp during Zimbabwe’s doomed Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

But in a letter delivered to Zifa yesterday Cosafa’s general secretary Sue Destombes said: “The Zimbabwe Football Association does not have the right to “recall Dr Phillip Chiyangwa as Cosafa president” despite his nationality.”

Destombes warned Zifa against trying to subcontract their domestic problems to Cosafa.

“Your allegations against the former president of Zifa whether founded or unfounded, are domestic in nature and should therefore be dealt with in Zimbabwe. These issues have nothing to do with COSAFA.

“The Zimbabwe Football Association, a member of COSAFA should not seek use the office of the president of Cosafa to resolve domestic disputes and in so doing, bring the Zonal Union and the Presidency into disrepute,” reads part of the letter.