Sports Reporter
Zifa said they cancelled the Unity Cup set for today due to the burial of Senator Aguy Georgias at the National Heroes Acre, although Bulawayo giants Highlanders had already declined to take part citing a lack of players. In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Zifa president Phillip Chiyangwa said the cancellation was due to today’s burial of the national hero.
“The cancellation has been compelled by the burial of national hero Cde Aguy Georgias at the National Heroes Acre tomorrow (today),” he said. Zifa had selected Highlanders and Dynamos to play in the Unity Cup final at Barbourfields Stadium, but Bosso turned down the offer saying they had already released their players for the holidays by the time they were informed of the match.
Bosso had earlier turned down the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Foundation’s invitation to take on DeMbare in a two-legged Joshua Nkomo Legacy Cup citing similar reasons. The embattled Zifa then tried to rope in Caps United and newly promoted Bulawayo City to replace Highlanders, but they too reportedly declined.
The cancellation and reason proffered further reflects the unfolding chaos at Zifa following last week’s debacle involving the firing and re-engagement of Warriors’ coach Callisto Pasuwa inside 48 hours.
How the burial of Georgias comes into the picture when Highlanders had placed it on record that they would not take part paints Zifa as rudderless. Highlanders said they had released their players for the holidays soon after their Easycall Cup triumph over league champions Chicken Inn and some were already in South Africa.
The Bulawayo giants also took a swipe at Zifa, with club chairman Peter Dube saying coordination of the tournament was highly disorganised. He said Zifa only notified them about the Unity Cup last Thursday evening and did not even furnish them with the rules or contracts for the teams.
Issues relating to players’ allowances, pre-match costs, which include training and camping, were also not clarified.
This embarrassing excuse and Warriors’ coach gaffes come exactly two weeks after Chiyangwa and his board were elected into office promising to introduce sweeping reforms to restore Zifa’s long lost pride and putting an end to the association’s previous business-as-usual approach.
However, on the evidence of these two episodes, soccer fans might need to fasten their seatbelts for some more serious Zifa turbulence.