The date of January 18, 2025, might have been set for elections for all Zifa board posts but events on the ground seem to suggest that the elections are headed for a fall.
There are too many forces outside there fighting the constitutional amendments and the composition of the electorate to the extent that it would be disastrous to go ahead with the elections using the existing order.
The word reverberating strongly out there is that there is no way the elections can be held under the current Zifa congress because it no longer carries the mandate to do so and its decisions do not hold.
They are questioning why the current congress — whose term expired in 2022 — should be given the power to elect a new Zifa board when the congress itself is leaving office soon after the elections.
Even the constitution that is in the hands of the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) is facing resistance on the basis that it was crafted by a congress which was no longer in office.
What they are saying is that involving the current Zifa congress would constitute a flawed process which would bring Zimbabwean football back to the same old problems it is trying to run away from.
Who can blame their strong reasoning that the current Zifa congress can just mess up things knowing pretty well that they will not be held accountable for what comes out of the elections.
Already, word out there is that those congressmen known for soliciting for bribes are already back to their old ways dining with potential candidates and promising them their votes.
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In fact, word of this congress selling its votes has been going on for some time leading to the conclusion that this was the reason why those with money but no football knowledge were being elected while competent and capable football leaders were being sidelined.
Happily, those opposed to the elections think Zimbabwe should not rush things after having been on Fifa suspension and should do the right thing of starting with elections for a new congress which will then elect the Zifa board.
Surely, that seems to be the right thing to do even if it means an extension of the term of office of the Lincoln Mutasa-led Zifa normalisation committee as long as the right process is followed.
Of late, there has been few blunders from the Zifa normalisation committee to allow an extension of its term in office so that a new congress is installed before the Zifa Board elections.
Should that happen, instead of starting at the top, the NC's rebuilding process should begin down in the Area Zone up to the Premier Soccer League before a new Zifa Board is elected.
That is what the NC should have done and should be doing instead of assembling and giving power to a congress that has long outlived its existence.
Allowing this congress to continue its existence until after January 18, 2025, is extending its illegitimacy, and a breach of the same Zifa constitution which Zimbabwean football claims to uphold.
Surely, the next three months will provide an interesting chapter in Zimbabwean football as the under currents explode.
*For your views, comments, and suggestions mkariati@gmail.com or WhatsApp on 071 0774 596.
