OUSTED ex-ZIFA president Felton Kamambo could fall foul of the law again in his bid to fight for equipment donated by FIFA that has been earmarked for distribution to grassroots football structures by the association’s current board.
Kamambo, through his lawyers Rubaya and Chatambudza, on Tuesday wrote to ZIFA president Gift Banda seeking to stop a resolution made by congress, at an Extraordinary General Meeting held last weekend, to disburse football equipment to the intended recipients.
The Grain Marketing Board executive, however, was recalled by the ZIFA congress on April 23 together with his colleagues – Philemon Machana and Bryton Malandule.
Kamambo, who is also facing fraud charges along with ex-board member finance Machana and Malandule (development), was in February this year barred by the Harare Magistrates Court from acting on behalf of the association in any manner until the trial is complete.
The trio was also ordered to stop interfering in the affairs of ZIFA and were also prohibited from communicating with FIFA as part of their bail conditions.
They were jointly charged with ZIFA chief executive officer Joseph Mamutse and former Central Region chairman Stanley Chapeta.
The lawyers representing the quintet yesterday threatened unspecified action against ZIFA for seeking to distribute football equipment to the grassroots, a move which the association’s acting president, Gift Banda scoffed at as an attention-seeking sideshow.
Banda said although ZIFA would in due course issue a full statement, they would not take instructions from lawyers representing individuals who were long recalled from football.
“This is a sideshow which we cannot concentrate on. We will issue a statement in due course, obviously after consultations with stakeholders and our legal advisors.
“But we will not lose sleep over sideshows from people whose mandate was long revoked, the same people who have been trying to feed wrong information to FIFA,’’ Banda said.
“They have no legal standing to tell us what to do or what not to do because the people who should make such decisions are the football people, those mandated to do so.
“As for those guys, it is common knowledge their mandate was revoked at a properly convened Congress, which they and their lawyers knew about and the lawyers even gave excuses that their clients won’t be able to attend because of the same bail conditions, which they are now flouting.
“It boggles the mind that the same lawyers are taking instructions to meddle in the running of the game in violation of those bail conditions.”
Kamambo, who is facing fraud charges along with ex-board members Machana and Malandule, was in February barred by the Harare Magistrates Court from acting on behalf of the association until the trial is complete.
The trio was also ordered to stop interfering with the affairs at ZIFA and were also prohibited from communicating with FIFA as part of their bail conditions.
But their lawyer Admire Rubaya, of Rubaya and Chatambudza, on Tuesday wrote to acting ZIFA president Banda seeking to stop a resolution made by the Congress, at an Extraordinary General Meeting last weekend, to disburse football equipment to intended recipients.
The trio of Kamambo, Machana and Malandule was recalled by the Congress in April following a vote of no confidence by the football parliament. The Congress, which is the association’s highest decision-making body, also declined to ratify the co-option of former Central Region chairman Stanley Chapeta at the same meeting.
ZIFA chief executive officer Joseph Mamutse, who was also under the spotlight before his acquittal then opted to fight in Kamambo’s corner and has not reported for duty for several months, despite having his suspension lifted by the Sport and Recreation Commission.
The quintet has been refusing to co-operate with the BDO chartered accountants, who have been carrying out a forensic audit of ZIFA’s books and they have cited the bail conditions set by the Harare magistrates’ court as the reasons for their actions.
However, Rubaya in his correspondence, under instruction from the quintet, tried to interdict ZIFA from handling the football equipment which the association purchased.
Rubaya also tried to paint the just-ended ZIFA EGM, which was held in Harare at the weekend, as an illegal gathering.
“Reference is made to the above. We still act for Messrs F Kamambo, P Machana, B. Malandule, S Chapeta and J Mamutse, our clients, who effectively comprise the SRC suspended executive committee members of ZIFA.
“It has come to our clients’ attention that at a meeting dubbed ‘the ZIFA EGM’, that you arranged and attended together with your colleagues and subsequently conspired, agreed and resolved to distribute football equipment that was purchased using FIFA funds strictly for FIFA-sanctioned programs.
“We are advised that your grouping agreed to distribute this equipment starting Wednesday 2nd November, 2022 to your various members despite previous communications from FIFA and CAF that you are to desist from utilising their financial resources and anything acquired using their funds,” wrote Rubaya. – The Herald
