Harare, Zimbabwe – The fragile peace in Zimbabwean football appears to be fracturing as the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has publicly called out the ZIFA Normalisation Committee (NC) for stalling the country’s football recovery roadmap.
The latest fallout centers on a missing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) intended to provide a permanent fix to the administrative chaos that previously led to Zimbabwe’s lengthy FIFA suspension.
Five Months of Silence
Speaking to The Sunday Mail, SRC Director-General Eltah Nengomasha revealed that the ZIFA NC has effectively sat on a draft agreement for nearly half a year. According to Nengomasha, the document is vital for establishing a clear development path, yet the committee led by Lincoln Mutasa has gone silent.
“The MoU draft was finalized last year. It has been roughly five months now, but the Normalisation Committee has not bothered to respond,” Nengomasha stated. “We have made specific follow-ups during this period, but we have received nothing in return.”
The tension between the country’s supreme sports body and the FIFA-appointed committee is becoming increasingly visible. Many fear this “palpable friction” could eventually force FIFA to intervene again if the two parties cannot find common ground.
This isn’t the first time the two entities have clashed recently. Just last month, SRC Chairperson Gerald Mlotshwa took a swipe at the ZIFA NC for their perceived “boycott” of the commissioning of The Heart Stadium. The stadium, built by Prophet Walter Magaya, was officially opened by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, but ZIFA officials were notably absent.
In response to the stadium snub, ZIFA NC Chairman Lincoln Mutasa dismissed claims of a deliberate boycott. Mutasa argued that the committee was only given a 48-hour notice regarding the event, suggesting the short lead time made their attendance difficult.
However, with the SRC now escalating complaints regarding the MoU, the pressure is firmly on the Normalisation Committee to prove they are moving the game forward rather than standing in its way.