India, which was recently suspended by the world football mother body, (Fifa)
for undue third-party influence, have been handed a reprieve following the
lifting of the ban.
The suspension for the country with a population of 1.4 billion recently came
into effect after its government had come up with new rules for sporting
federations.
Labelled the Sports Code — the raft of changes were designed to address
allegations of shoddy governance in sporting bodies, which have been plagued
by allegations of corruption.
But this week in a media release FIFA confirmed the lifting of ban.
“The Bureau of the FIFA Council has decided to lift the suspension that was
imposed on the All India Football Federation (AIFF) due to undue third-party
influence.
“The decision was taken after FIFA received confirmation that the mandate of
the committee of administrators which was set up to assume the powers of
the AIFF executive committee had been terminated and the AIFF
administration had regained full control of the AIFF’s daily affairs.”
Consequently, the world football control body said the FIFA Under 17
Women’s World Cup 2022 scheduled to take place on October 11-30, 2022,
will be held in India as earlier planned.
The reasons that had led to India’s woes and exclusion from international
football are the same as those for Zimbabwe which, however, seems not to
have moved an inch to bring normalcy to the domestic football environment.
The SRC were yet to respond to questions sent to them last week.
Thomas Sweswe, the secretary-general of the Football Union of Zimbabwe
(FUZ) believes the plight of players deserves urgent attention.
“The collective voice of the players needs to be respected because they are
the ones most affected by the stand-off between the two key stakeholders of
the sport.
“It’s very sad and disheartening that they don’t have an input to a decision that
determines their fate and careers. Losing one month of competitiveness in
sports takes longer to recover and catch up.
“Our players need exposure and we have to get back and compete. We can’t
kill a generation because a few people who aren’t affected by this situation say
so. May the powers that be act swiftly to save our football.
“The calls from the players is are a genuine plea that deserves urgent
attention,” he said.
The Fifa-sponsored footballers’ representative union’s mission is to uphold and
preserve the ethics of football, and to safeguard the physical health and
integrity of players.
Responding to questions from Zim Now, an executive member of the banned
ZIFA board argued ZIFA did not suspend itself, adding the onus is with the SRC
to reinstate the Kamambo-led executive. He requested anonymity following a
court order that has gagged them from making comments publicly.
The SRC were yet to respond to questions forwarded to them24 hours earlier
Some quarters have argued that the SRC is being stubborn on the whole
matter
What the players say:
Marshall Munetsi (Stade de Reims, France)
“On the 2nd of March 2022, I posted regarding the ban on our national teams
from international football and how lives have been impacted by the ban.
“This ban has spilled over to our local football clubs as they cannot take part in
regional or international tournaments.
“I come back again, pleading with the relevant authorities and all parties
involved to find a workable solution to this matter. As things stand, we are
losing a generation of talented footballers who are not being exposed to
scouting opportunities from abroad.
“As a result it is Zimbabwean football that will suffer, and it is the fans who are
being denied thier right to watch the sport that they so dearly love.
“Once again, I plead with the relevant parties to find a workable solution to
this matter, so that our beautiful nation gets to enjoy our beautiful game.”
Tinashe Balakasi ( Nothern Region Division 1)
“Our football has been reduced to social league status. Imagine a Premier
Soccer League team winning the championship and not heading for the African
safari to represent the country!
‘Football is our livelihood and if we do not get opportunities now it means that
our future is bleak. ZIFA and SRC should simply consider us as a top priority,”
he said.
Emmamnuel Mandiranga (Caps United)
“It is the dream of all Zimbabwean footballers, including myself, to play abroad
and be financially stable, change lives of our local communities and families.”
Wisdom Mutasa (Costa do Sol, Mozambique)
“We come in peace and in harmony for the love of football. It is our major
source of livelihood and without it being properly managed thousands can
easily be turned into criminals.
“Recent statistics of Zimbabwean local footballers caught on the wrong side of
the law is strong evidence of the mess we are in as footballers in Zimbabwe.
The Caf/Fifa suspension has blocked a lot from achieving their dreams of
moving to greener pastures, make a decent living out of football just like white
collar workers and executives in corporates.
“Please set your differences aside to ensure the suspension is lifted as soon as
yesterday for the betterment of the entire economy of Zimbabwe.”
Gabriel Nyoni (former Highlanders and Caps United)
“They are having internal conflicts, while time, chance and opportunities for
soccer players are passing by. Playing football without recognition, no Afcon,
no Chan, no Cosafa. It’s time for players to stand for their own future. Take a
knee before every game.”
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