A year later, again, FIFA Congress votes to endorse Zimbabwe suspension

For a second time in a row, 199 FIFA members have unanimously voted ‘Yes’ to uphold the suspension of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) owing to government interference via the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).

The latest agreement by the affiliated FIFA members was made on Thursday 16 March during a 73rd Congress that was held at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.

Two hundred and eight members were present and 207 were eligible to vote with a total of 200 valid votes cast.

Of the 200 members that voted, 199 agreed to the continued suspension of Zimbabwe while one member opposed.

Initially, ratification to ban Zimbabwe to participate in all international football activities was made by the 199 FIFA members in March 2022 during the 72nd congress held in Doha, Qatar.

Zimbabwe was banned by FIFA due to “third party interference” after the government arm the Sports and Recreation Commission suspended then ZIFA president Felton Kamambo and his board citing sexual harassment as well as corruption.

Zimbabwe’s SRC was initially given a deadline of 3 January 2022 by Fifa to relinquish control of football back to Zifa. They ignored the deadline and subsequently banished from international competitions.