DEBT ridden Zifa received a shot in the arm yesterday after the association secured a $1 million sponsorship from businessman, Wicknell Chivayo.
BY HENRY MHARA
The donation will be paid in instalments over the next two years, with the first payment being used to settle Zifa’s debt with Belgian coach, Tom Saintfiet.
The sponsorship deal was announced yesterday by Zifa president Phillip Chiyangwa at a press conference held at Chivayo’s offices in Harare.
The agreement signed by Chiyangwa and Chivayo states that the money will only be released during the Zifa boss’ tenure.
After the settling of Saintfiet’s debt, other payments will be released progressively on request by Chiyangwa.
The football mother body is struggling with a $6 million debt and needs funds to finance the Warriors and Mighty Warriors preparations for international assignments.
The senior men’s team is supposed to be in camp preparing for the Chan finals to be played in Rwanda in three weeks’ time, while the women’s team needs to start preparations for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
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Chiyangwa will immediately deduct a chunk of the money to go towards settling Saintfiet’s debt, which has ballooned to $180 000.
Zifa has been given until January 4, 2016 by Fifa to settle the debt or risk disqualification from the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers.
The Warriors were booted out of the of the 2018 Russia World Cup qualifiers following Zifa’s failure to offset a debt owed to another former coach Valinhos.
That debt has since been settled although Fifa’s ban stood.
Chiyangwa said they will wire the first batch of $50 000 to Zurich towards settling Saintfiet’s debt tomorrow, with another instalment to be paid at the end of January.
Sainfiet, who was originally claiming $451 086, will receive a third batch of $80 000 in March.
The 42-year old was employed as the Warriors coach by the previous Zifa board led by Dube and took charge of two training sessions before he was deported for working without a work permit.
But he took his case to Fifa and obtained a writ of execution after being awarded $150 000 in damages, which has now accumulated interest, for the four-year contract he had signed.
Dube was dismissed after a vote of no confidence by the Zifa councillors, who dismissed the entire board to pave way for the elections, which were won by Chiyangwa and he will see out the remainder of the tenure.
After the election of the new board Zifa has promised to carry out an audit before it engages some of its creditors.
