NEWLY-ELECTED Zifa president Felton Kamambo immediately got down to business yesterday, starting with a meeting with Sport, Arts and Culture minister Kirsty Coventry to share notes on football development.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The Zifa boss said they wanted to hear the minister’s expectations as well as express their views on the trajectory they needed to take the game of football forward.
“As the first day, today was about the handover-takeover process. It was a kind of some fact finding, to see what is the situation on the ground; what belongs to Zifa and what does not belong to Zifa. We are also going to meet with the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture to air our views on what needs to be done. We also want to hear from the minister her expectations,” he said.
“Football stakeholders have entrusted us to lead the development of football, and it means greater responsibility on our part as the Zifa leadership. We have an obligation to deliver. We have to maintain the pleasant atmosphere that has accompanied our election into office,” Kamambo said.
The Zifa boss insisted his team was determined to revolutionise the Zimbabwean game which had suffered from years of mismanagement.
Meanwhile, world soccer governing body Fifa has congratulated Kamambo for winning the Zifa presidential election against Philip Chiyangwa.
Kamambo, a former Zifa board member, beat the Harare businessman to the top post after garnering 35 votes while Chiyangwa secured 24.
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The Zifa constitution stipulates that for one to be declared winner, he or she needs a two-thirds majority and this meant the election was supposed to have gone into a re-run.
However, Chiyangwa, sensing further humiliation, withdrew his candidature, leaving Kamambo to be declared duly elected president of Zifa.
And yesterday, Fifa, through chief of staff to the president, Mattias Grafstrom, issued a congratulatory message to the new Zifa president.
“My name is Mattias Grafstrom, I am the chief of staff to the Fifa president. On his behalf, I would like to congratulate you and we look forward to working together to develop football in Zimbabwe, Africa and the world. We will be happy to find a moment early next year, to invite you to Zurich for an official visit.”
The Premier Soccer League, through its communications department, also sent a congratulatory message.
Kamambo will be deputised by Gift Banda who beat Omega Sibanda by 37 votes to 22 for the vice-presidency, leaving former board member finance Philemon Machana, as the only survivor from the previous executive who managed to retain his post after garnering 41 votes.
Manica Diamonds secretary-general Sugar Chagonda, businessman Chamu Chiwanza and Brighton Malandule all made it to the Zifa board.
