MARONDERA- The ZIFA Eastern Region Division 1 league is prepared to send the four
teams that finished the championship to the proposed National Division League, amid reports
that the league is unconstitutional.
In football terms, Zimbabwe has four regional Division One leagues that shot down the move
saying the Zifa executive committee does not have the constitutional powers to make such a
decision outside the Zifa Congress.
Mashonaland East, Manicaland and Masvingo make up the Eastern Region league.
The leagues vice chairman, Wisdom Simba said they will simply comply and send teams that
are prepared and adequately resourced to be part of the national league.
He said: “As the Eastern Region Division 1 league, we received such an instruction from
ZIFA and we will just comply. We will send four teams that are prepared to the league,
provided they have the capacity to compete at that level.”
He also stated that three teams including Mashonaland East’s FC Hunters, will join the
Eastern Regional League and their statuses for the upcoming season will be confirmed at the
Congress which will be held later this month.
The new clubs will have to fork out US$3 000 while those that have already been part and
parcel of the league will pay US$2 500 as affiliation fees.
In a developing story, Davison Muchena who leads the same league, alongside his three
counterparts – Andrew Tapela of the Southern Region, Patrick Hill of Central the Region and
the Northern Regions Martin Kweza are on record arguing that the proposed National
Divisions leagues conceptualisation and communication “was not well thought-out as it did
not take into consideration the contractual agreements that the clubs and the regions had
entered into with sponsors and players.
“As the leadership of the Regional Leagues and in consultation with our respective clubs, we
note with concern the apparent breach of the Zifa constitution in the manner which you seek
to admit the National League as a member,” read part of the letter.
Article 9.1 of the Zifa constitution states that the Congress shall decide whether to admit,
suspend or expel a Member, whereas Article 9.2 goes further to state that, the admission may
be granted if the applicant fulfils the requirements of Zifa, such requirements are as
enunciated in Article 10(3).
“We wish to bring to your attention that the admission of a member is a preserve of the
Congress, and such decision cannot be passed by the Executive Committee.
For avoidance of doubt Article 10, merely provides for the membership of a National
League once it has been established. There can never be any logical reason why we may want
to rupture all contractual obligations which teams in the lower leagues may have entered into,
be it with players or sponsors.
We have teams which signed players on the basis that they will be playing Division One
Football. We had teams which have signed up with sponsors and drawn up budgets for
regional division one football, all this and many more other factors have to be evaluated for
the good of our game.”
