The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has said Felton Kamambo must advise FIFA that he was no longer the president of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA).
Kamambo and several other ZIFA officials were recalled from office by the SRC on November 26 2021 for alleged maladministration and sexual abuse of female referees.
Nevertheless, FIFA, the world football governing board, still recognises Kamambo and his suspended administration as the official office holders.
FIFA banned Zimbabwe from all of the association’s sanctioned matches arguing that Kamambo’s suspension constituted government interference with the sport.
Last Friday marked a year since Zimbabwe was suspended from the Fifa football family.
Some stakeholders have been calling on SRC to reinstate the Kamambo-led administration, a condition which FIFA gave for the lifting of the ban on Zimbabwe.
But the SRC says they are no longer in any position to legally reinstate Kamambo since he was recalled by the Zifa congress. SRC board chairman Gerald Mlothswa is quoted by the Standard as saying:
It is a fact that Mr Felton Kamambo is no longer the Zifa president, having been recalled by his own congress. It follows, logically, that the SRC is not able to reinstate him to that position. Any such attempt would, ironically, be blatantly unlawful in terms of Zifa’s current constitution as well as the Sports and Recreation Commission Act.
It is most regrettable that certain legislators continue to demand that the SRC ignore the resolutions of the Zifa congress, violate Zifa’s constitution, and, incredibly, its own Act, a product of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, in reinstating Mr Kamambo.
There is therefore no legal basis upon which Zifa or indeed the SRC can request Messrs. Kamambo and Mamutse to correspond with Fifa, nor can the latter organization, in light of its views on the outcome of the EGM of April, 2022, demand the same of those persons.
If anything, it is perhaps the correct, if not patriotic thing to do, for these recalled Zifa executive committee members and the suspended general secretary, to formally advise Fifa that they no longer hold office. They owe this nation an apology.
The SRC insists it has already complied with most of the demands from FIFA for the lifting of the country’s suspension except those that are beyond them such as reinstating Kamambo as the ZIFA president.
It also highlighted that the mandate of the Zifa restructuring committee came to an end in December last year.