ZIMBABWE is surviving on limited Fifa funding as — at the moment — the country does not qualify to receive the over $1.25 million annual grant that is distributed to all the other 210 Fifa affiliates.
This was revealed by Zifa normalisation committee (NC) chairman Lincoln Mutasa, who said Zimbabwe does not qualify for full Fifa funding as Zifa has not presented audited accounts of the last Fifa financial disbursements.
"Right now, we have restricted funding because we are not compliant with the requirements of Fifa because of unaudited accounts. We are on a limited budget," said Mutasa speaking to a local television channel.
The NC chairman said there was a lot of money that had accrued for Zimbabwe at Fifa during the period of suspension but the country has no access to it until the audited finances of previous disbursements are presented.
The last Fifa funding was received during the Felton Kamambo-led Zifa board which was suspended by the Sports and Recreation Commission which subsequently led to Zimbabwe's ban from international football by Fifa for government intereferance.
At the moment, Mutasa said, they were only receiving 'restricted' funding from Fifa and for that matter only for approved projects which they were supposed to apply for.
"As far as any other projects we need to do are concerned, we have to justify by putting up a budget, and then approach Fifa for that project funding. Anything besides that, there is no money coming," Mutasa said.
Zifa does not have a sponsor nor any fund raising activities but rely heavily on Fifa grants and gate takings from Warriors home matches to sustain themselves.
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Sadly, though, at the moment, the money from gate takings is very little — that is if there is any at all — as the Warriors are playing their home matches in other countries following the closure of the National Sports Stadium for being backwards in international stadia standards.
Zimbabwe played its home 2026 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria in Rwanda before moving to South Africa for their other World Cup encounter against Lesotho.
Mutasa was last week retained as the chairman of the NC alongside Rosemary Mugadza and Nyasha Sanyamandwe while Sikumbuzo Ndebele and Cynthia Malaba were dropped from the class of July 11, 2023.
He has promised that a new Zifa board and a new Zifa president would be in office by January 31, 2025, when their extended term of office expires.
