The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) says the entire national men’s team has been disbanded with immediate effect following wide consultations with stakeholders.
In a statement posted on its website, ZIFA said, “The decision to disband the entire national team from the technical team to the players was arrived at after going through the technical reports which the association received and the recommendations from the ZIFA Technical and Development Committee.
“The establishment of the new national team set up was to be informed by the association’s national teams policy, code of conduct and philosophy with all future call ups based on commitment, technical and tactical aptitude, patriotism and above all discipline. Players and technical personnel with a questionable commitment to national duty shall not be considered for any selection in the future.”
ZIFA said, however, the new technical set up based on their own discretion have a right to select players who were in the previous team.
The decision to disband the Warriors was made at a recent ZIFA Executive Committee’s Emergency Committee meeting last week.
The association noted that “the names of the technical personnel for the national team which the ZIFA technical and development committee came up with and presented, were discussed with amendments and ZIFA will in due course make official pronouncement. The individuals who have been shortlisted and their handlers are being contacted so that contractual issues are finalised. The association believe that all its national teams shall be manned by competent, highly technical, qualified and patriotic personnel.”
Zimbabwe performed dismally at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt where they were beaten 4-0 by the Democratic Republic of Congo in a match they were expected to win.
They were also humiliated by Egypt and Uganda in the early stages of the tournament.
At the same time, ZIFA said former president Phillip Chiyangwa and his deputy, Omega Sibanda, have been banned for life from holding any ZIFA post.
“Mr Philip Chiyangwa was banned for life for bringing Zimbabwean football into disrepute through the 2019 COSAFA Cup bid debacle wherein he unilaterally submitted an incomplete bid document without getting the government guarantee and ZIFA Board resolution which ended up attracting a ban form COSAFA where Mr Chiyangwa is the president. Zifa are however appealing on the ban and still pursuing their case with COSAFA to have Mr Chiyangwa revoked, unlike some sentiments ZIFA advises the Nation that this case is still alive and believes Mr Chiyangwa will have his day in COSAFA soon.”
Sibanda was banned for allegedly interfering in ZIFA affairs.
“Mr Omega Sibanda was banned for life following his incessant interference with ZIFA judicial bodies during which he sought to influence a ZIFA lawyer to throw away a ZIFA electoral case, in a bid to foment turmoil in Zimbabwe.”
The Association further said, “All ZIFA affiliates who are instructed to enforce the Ban, COSAFA, SRC, Ministry, FIFA and CAF have been notified on the bans and amongst conditions of such are that the individuals concerned are no longer with immediate effect allowed entry into all ZIFA sanctioned football matches played in Zimbabwe, football meetings, conferences and Indaba.
The position taken by ZIFA does not absolve the two individuals from being further brought to book for more transgressions that are still to be concluded and under investigation.”
Chiyangwa and Sibanda, who are now Zanu PF legislators, were not available for comment.