The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) is in its last-ditch effort to rescue its artificial turf which was last month attached by former employer Nicholette Dhlamini as part of the money in arrears which she is owed by the association.
BY SPORTS REPORTER
The artificial turf is installed at the Zifa Village in Mount Hampden as part of Fifa’s Goal Project.
Still smarting from expulsion from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers by Fifa after failing to service a debt, Zifa this week wrote to Dhlamini proposing a payment plan of $2 000 a month to save the artificial turf from going under the hammer.
Reports though suggest that the artificial turf was already actioned to a local school for $115 000.
Dhlamini, who was sacked by the association three years ago, claims she is owed in excess of $80 000 in salary arrears.
She claimed that she was unfairly dismissed and approached the labour court which ruled in her favour and ordered Zifa to pay her $10 000 compensation at the time.
In a letter dated March 16 2015, Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze wrote to the association’s board members apprising them on the proposals they have made to Dhlamini.
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Mashingaidze said he was determined to engage all the association’s creditors, including the one against former Warriors coach Jose Claudineri Georgini (Valinhos) which has consequently cost Zimbabwe a place in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
“A meeting between Zifa and creditor Ms Nicholette Dhlamini’s lawyers set for Friday 13th March 2015 could not take place as planned since her lawyers said they had urgent commitments. We have engaged the lawyers for the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture to facilitate the meeting in question. The association has proposed a payment plan of two thousand dollars per month to Ms Dhlamini’s lawyers and we await their response. The association will favour you with regular updates,” part of the letter reads.
Zifa is also battling to engage Valinhos’ lawyers on another payment plan to settle a $67 000 debt which is believed to have ballooned to hundreds of thousands of dollars since 2008 when he left his job in Zimbabwe.
The failure to pay the coach has attracted Zimbabwe’s expulsion from the 2018 World Cup in Russia by world soccer governing body Fifa.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association formally wrote to former coach Jose Claudinei Gerogini’s lawyer Mr Vcitor Eleuterio on Monday 16th March 2015, requesting for a re-engagement of the two parties. The lawyers in question have been representing coach Jose Claudinei Gerogini since 2008.
We have advised coach Jose Claudinei Georgini’s lawyers that Zifa lawyers will be engaging them tomorrow 17th March 2015, to initiate re-engagement which should see Zifa make an initial down payment this month,” Mashingaidze wrote.
The former Warriors coach lasted just 11 months into his job after he was fired for a spate of dreadful results.
