Joseph Muchechetere
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) will this morning meet Zifa to be briefed on the promotional play-offs impasse.
Acting SRC director-general Joseph Muchechetere said the country’s supreme sports body would meet Zifa’s acting general secretary Joseph Mamutse to get a briefing on the past weekend’s bizarre resolution to relegate four teams in violation of a standing agreement to chop two.
A 2015 agreement resolved to drop two teams from the topflight and promotional play-offs involving winners of Zifa’s four regional leagues were to be held to determine the two teams to take up the open PSL slots for the 2017 season.
“I can’t comment with authority because as SRC we’re yet to get a briefing on what transpired at the Zifa general meeting. I’ve been reading in the media and the issue you are talking about is in the public domain. However, I’ll be able to comment from an informed view after meeting Zifa’s acting general secretary (Mamutse) tomorrow,” said Muchechetere.
Asked if it was proper to change the goal posts when the season is about to end, Muchechetere said: “If it so happened that they resolved to change the goalposts with two games to go, then that’s not sportsmanship. What I know is that rules and regulations of any competition are communicated at the beginning of the competition and if they’re to change, due notice should be given. Through the system communicated, a special general meeting is called to discuss matters that might have arisen during the course of the competition. That’s how sports management and sports governance should be.”
What is clear is that regional chairpersons of Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern areas have not been negotiating in good faith, as they knew from last year’s Zifa Assembly that a resolution stating that two teams would be relegated from the PSL at the end of the 2016 season was passed.
They went on to brief their affiliates before the start of the season that the team that will top the respective regional leagues will compete in the play-offs.
For the regional chairpersons to backtrack on an earlier agreement at the Zifa Assembly, a month after holding a meeting to regularise the play-offs, including coming up with the format and dates for the promotional play-offs, puzzles many.
The regional bosses’ last meeting to plan for the play-offs was held on September 10 in Chisipite. Prior to that, several meetings had been held.
The PSL has already submitted a $65 000 budget to cater for the promotional play-offs.