ZIFA has refuted allegations that they misused the money provided by government for the Warriors’ trip to Malawi for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Malawi on June 13.
BY sports reporter
The allegations were made by Sport, Arts and Culture deputy minister Tabitha Kanengoni-Malinga in Parliament on Wednesday after she had been asked to explain government funding of the national team.
In a statement yesterday, Zifa said “these dangerous and baseless allegations have a tendency to scare away potential sponsors”.
“It is true the Warriors had to travel by road to Malawi, after they had refused to board a plane due to an allowances deadlock. We had paid for return tickets and the Warriors travelled by plane back home. All payments can be verified at Malawi Airlines offices and receipts are also available for inspection at Zifa head office.
“Had the Warriors not utilised the available option of travelling by bus, the country would have been heavily sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football.
“Zifa would like to categorically state that it only received $6 000 from the government through the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, but the cost of allowances alone that the team demanded amounted to $42 000,” Zifa said.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“The trend worldwide is that national football teams are sponsored by their respective governments. It is admitted that Zifa is facing financial challenges, but it has never abdicated from its primary responsibility of servicing national teams.”
The national association then gave a breakdown of the expenses with regards to the Malawi trip.
