FIFA Extends Mutasa’s Tenure at ZIFA, Shifts Focus to Elections and Constitutional Reforms

FIFA has decided to extend Lincoln Mutasa’s tenure as the head of the ZIFA Normalisation Committee for an additional nine months.

This move is aimed at resolving the long-standing crisis in Zimbabwean football and paving the way for the holding of elections and constitutional reforms.

Despite facing challenges during his initial appointment in July 2023, Mutasa has been given a fresh mandate to lead the Normalisation Committee in its efforts to stabilise the football association and ensure compliance with FIFA statutes.

The decision was made after a series of meetings between FIFA officials, including Solomon Mudege, David Fani, and Gelson Fernades, and the Normalisation Committee in Harare. The meetings aimed to assess the progress made by the committee and chart a way forward for ZIFA’s reform process.

As part of the reforms, the Normalisation Committee’s composition was restructured, with Rosemary Mugadza and Nyasha Sanyamandwe retaining their positions, while Sikhumbuzo Ndebele and Cynthia Malaba have been dropped.

The focus of the Normalisation Committee has now shifted to ensuring the adoption of constitutional amendments and outlining an election roadmap. The notion that the committee must also appoint an electoral committee to oversee the polls is expected to be held by the first quarter of 2025.

FIFA has handed the secretariat, led by general secretary Yvonne Mapika Manwa, more responsibilities to run the affairs of ZIFA, while the Normalisation Committee focuses on the election process. This move is aimed at ensuring a smooth transition and avoiding a vacuum in leadership.

READ ALSO:  Rwanda’s Olympic Team Heads to Paris 2024 Olympics

FIFA’s intervention in ZIFA’s affairs is aim at establishing a better working relationship between the government and the football association.

The world governing body has made it clear that it wants to see a collaboration agreement between the Ministry of Sport, the Sports and Recreation Commission, and ZIFA, which will define the responsibilities and objectives of each party, including issues related to sexual harassment.