Constitutional review to pave way for ZIFA elections
Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
THE Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Normalisation Committee is racing against time to implement the FIFA-prescribed reforms before its mandate expires on the 30th of June.
The ZIFA Normalisation Committee (NC) came into being last year after the World Football governing body FIFA lifted Zimbabwe’s suspension from international football.
The NC was given a clear mandate to restructure the ZIFA administration and review the local football mother body’s Statutes and Electoral Code to ensure compliance with FIFA Statutes and requirements.
It is also expected to act as an electoral committee to organise and conduct elections to usher in a new ZIFA Board based on the newly aligned ZIFA Statutes and Electoral Code, among other requirements.
In a media briefing in Harare this Friday, NC Chairperson Lincoln Mutasa admitted they are racing against time to implement the constitutional review process which will pave the way for elections.
“From the time we entered into office, we have been seized with making sure that the internal organisation is running smoothly and filling the gaps that needed to be filled and also getting a proper structure in place. I am happy to say that we have made significant progress on the end and we can now touch on other issues that we are mandated to do,” he said.
He added, “The review process we are now getting onto will take a bit of time because of the nature of the process, it will require wild consultations among other things. Once the constitutional process is satisfied then we are going to engage FIFA to work out a road map for elections, so in terms of time frames I cannot give you that because that will be decided by the engagement we will have with FIFA.”
A constitutional review process usually takes time as it involves several stakeholders and entities, while there is also a need to check if the new statutes align with the country’s constitution, the SRC Act as well as FIFA Statutes.
After the constitutional process is concluded, the NC will then engage FIFA for approval.
Once approved, the electoral process will then start with elections starting from the Area Zone up to the ZIFA Board.
These processes are likely to go beyond 30 June when the Normalisation Committee’s mandate is supposed to end.
ZBC News has since established that Normalisation Committees in Ghana, Namibia, Pakistan, Egypt, Trinidad and Tobago have all failed to conclude their mandate within the stipulated timeframes and FIFA had to extend their tenures.
