Blow for Philip Chiyangwa

By Godknows Matarutse

Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa has been dealt a massive blow over the protracted dispute over the current Zifa board term of office after one of his board members Pirainashe Mabhena stepped down from his position with immediate effect yesterday.

Chiyangwa and his executive were voted into office in December 2015 to finish the term of office of the previous board led by Cuthbert Dube and Mabhena’s resignation came at a time when the term of the current Zifa board lapses today.

Chiyangwa has in recent months insisted that they have a mandate to continue beyond today’s deadline and had taken the matter to Fifa after the association’s AGM in February to indicate the way forward.

However Fifa are yet to make a ruling leaving the future of Zimbabwean football in

In his letter to Zifa chief executive Joseph Mamutse and also copied to the Sports and Recreation Commission, Mabhena said: “By copy of this letter, please be advised that I shall be stepping down from the position of Zifa board member effective 28 March 2018.

“I am alive to the fact that the mandate given to me by the Zifa congress at the by-election on the December 5 2015 ends on this said date.

“I would like to thank the Zifa president, Chiyangwa, my fellow board members, the Zifa secretariat and most importantly, the Zifa Councillors who trusted and voted for me to represent them on the board, I am forever indebted to them!

“It has been a pleasure and an honour to have been a part of the Zifa board. I am so proud of the work that we put in under very difficult financial challenges but I’d also like to concede that there is still so much work to be done if we are to compete with the best in world of Football!

“May I take this opportunity to notify you and indeed the larger family of football, that I only step down so that I can prepare and be ready for the next election which I hope will be announced soon.

“I am a passionate Football administrator, and a football fan at heart, hence I will not hesitate to serve my country in any capacity that presents itself in the future.

“I am available to help the association should there be a need for me to do so. I wish the association the best of all things good that work together to develop, promote, and control the game of “Association Football” in every form throughout Zimbabwe and beyond.  DailyNews