Fungai Chihuri
Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA board member for competitions Fungai Chihuri was on Wednesday picked up for questioning by police in Harare in connection with a fraud case involving gate takings from the Afcon qualifier between the Warriors and Guinea last month. The case was opened at the Bulawayo Central Police Station by the Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters’ Association and was transferred to Mbare Police Station under whose policing area the crime was allegedly committed.
Chihuri, who is also the acting board member for finance, allegedly cooked up the income and expenditure statement to cover up for the $4,000 paid to some board members and $3,000 paid to a mystery transporter. National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed that police at Mbare are handling the case.
Detectives from Mbare Police Station said Chihuri was questioned about the allegations, which he denied, before they went to Zifa House and later released him into the custody of his lawyer.
“Officers went to the Zifa offices to leave a letter of application to take the financial books. Zifa said the books were not yet ready and they would avail them next week,” said a police detective. Meanwhile, Zifa president Cuthbert Dube faces his Waterloo moment at the association’s extraordinary meeting in Harare tomorrow as all indications point to his ouster.
The congress will be graced by Fifa and Caf representatives Ashford Mamelodi from Botswana and Molife Oliphant from South Africa respectively. Many permutations have been forwarded on possible outcomes of tomorrow’s crucial meeting that has a huge bearing on the future of football in Zimbabwe.
According to the Zifa constitution, if the assembly dissolves the entire board, under-fire chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze will take over leadership of the association until elections are held within 60 days. It’s, however, highly unlikely that the councillors, who have remained steadfast in their quest to bring sanity to football, will take that route.
Dube and Mashingaidze have constantly and consistently been accused of running down Zimbabwean football. Observers last night said the only logical resolution would be to recall Dube and replace him with an acting president from among other board members until the next general meeting in March next year where there will either be elections or an endorsement of the acting head to run Zifa until 2018.
“I, however, also don’t see Chihuri surviving on Saturday. Tawengwa Hara, because of his confession, might be forgiven and also for the fact that he comes from the Southern Region. Twine Phiri can only be recalled by his constituency, the Premier Soccer League so I foresee Dube and Chihuri being shown the door,” said an observer, who did not want to be named.
The assembly, which is the parliament of local football, might also lift the suspension of board members Ben Gwarada, Miriam Sibanda and vice-president Omega Sibanda.