Kenny Ndebele
Grace Chingoma, Harare Bureau
THE Premier Soccer League have ended weeks of speculation about the future of chief executive Kenny Ndebele, handing the seasoned administrator a fresh mandate to lead the top-flight body’s secretariat.
Ndebele’s three-year-contract with the PSL ended on December 31.
With the league’s leadership having been rocked by the suspension of chairman Peter Dube by Zifa and the PSL’s relations with the association having taken a knock, it was not clear how the chief executive’s contract talks would be handled.
It has however emerged that the PSL’s emergency committee led by Dynamos president Kenny Mubaiwa as well as the league’s board of governors have given the thumbs up to their chief executive.
Chicken Inn’s Lifa Ncube, who is responsible for the finance portfolio and Lovemore Matikinyidze of Triangle, who oversees the human resources portfolio in the PSL committee are understood to have been tasked with handling Ndebele’s contract talks.
Triangle chairman Matikinyidze refused to discuss the length of the new contract they have offered to Ndebele.
“My policy has always been the same, be it players or football administrators, I don’t discuss contracts with the media. They are confidential issues,” Matikinyidze said.
No comment could be established from Ndebele either.
Ncube, however, confirmed that they had struck a deal to retain Ndebele.
“I know the contract was renewed. I am aware of that. The HR committee has been tasked to look into all contracts and they are the best people to comment on this,” said Ncube.
It was also not immediately clear whether Zifa are still pressing with sanction on the PSL chief executive who was last month accused of leading a breakdown of relations between the two entities.
Zifa had wanted Ndebele to be sanctioned for his alleged actions.
Mubaiwa said he would only be in a better position to discuss the Zifa, PSL relations after the association’s extraordinary meeting scheduled for this Saturday.
Saturday’s meeting is also expected to table the seemingly never ending PSL relegation-promotion saga.
This comes amid reports that resolving the relegation and promotion impasse will be costly, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport asking both Zifa and the PSL to each pay 17 000 Swiss Francs (about $16 612) for the hearing to start.
CAS recently wrote the two parties indicating that they had to pay the amount by January 12.
Zifa lawyer Itai Ndudzo is on record dismissing the PSL application and wrote to CAS questioning them of having no jurisdiction on the dispute, saying they have been quietly communicating with the supreme court of sport.
“Both parties have to pay 17 000 Swiss Franc so that the matter is heard. This money has to be paid to CAS by next week,” said the source.
Both Zifa and PSL have to shoulder arbitration costs, and the two parties will have to pay in advance. This means $34 000 will be lost to the bickering triggered by the October 29 impasse.
Zifa whose councillors ambushed the PSL by making a shock resolution to relegate four teams and promote four from the regional leagues, has put football development in a quandary, with both Zifa and PSL set to lose more money to legal costs.
The PSL appointed UK-based legal practitioner Pat Kachidza to represent them so they could cut on airfares.
A 2015 Zifa Congress resolved to drop two teams from the topflight and stage promotional play-offs involving winners of four regional leagues to determine the two teams to take up the PSL slots for the 2017 season.
Rescinding the 2015 resolution to relegate two teams is the bone of contention between Zifa and the PSL.
The proposed Zifa extraordinary general meeting called for this Saturday in Harare to resolve the standoff is unlikely to come out with a solution, with reports saying both parties are sticking to their positions.
The PSL, however, is intent on seeing through the mediation process they initiated when they approached CAS and believe that is the only way for the issue to be resolved.