Zimbabwean FA downplays financial negligence criticism

by Phumzile Ngcatshe

Thursday Jan 11, 2018. 10:30

The Zimbabwean Football Association has downplayed criticism of their finances, saying they fared better than the previous board led by Cuthbert Dube.

ZIFA board member in charge of finance, Philemon Machana addressed the media together with the body’s vice-president Omega Sibanda in Harare this week.

Machana raised questions on the expenditure of the previous board, where they paid above normal fees for services.

According to the News day website, the current administration came into office in December 2015 after the councillors revoked Dube’s mandate to lead the association.

With the association battling to service a debt of over $6 million, Machana said their financial situation arose from the historical operation when ZIFA was under Dube’s leadership and not the present administration.

Moreover, it is revealed that Philip Chiyangwa’s administration has used less money compared to the previous one and still performed better.

“In 2016 we participated in four out of six competitions, while the previous board took part in just two competitions, but you find that our expenditure is almost the same,” Machana said to the NewsDay.

“We used less to do more football-related activities. We were very pragmatic. Our situation is arising out of historical operations, not current operations. It’s not our own creation (the debt).

“It defies logic that before we came in, Pandari Lodge was being paid $100, but when we came in we paid only $28 for accommodation.”

Machana expressed shock that the 2011 audit by Baker Tilly Gwatidzo showed there was no income from gate-takings, yet fans were actually paying to watch matches at the stadium.

Furthermore, the football governing body intends to use their FIFA grant of $750 000 for fundraising initiatives in order to improve finances.