Government through the Sports and Reconciliation Commission, has dismissed the existence of the newly established National Football Association of Zimbabwe (NFAZ), arguing that ZIFA remains the name of the authority running football in Zimbabwe. Sports and Recreation Acting Director Joseph Muchechetere made this known to the media today.

Muchechetere said that government does not recognise the new association fast trekked into existence to replace ZIFA by Football body President Philip Chiyangwa.

Chiyangwa came up with the new association in order to escape paying massive debts incurred by ZIFA before he took over helm of local football.

Muchechetere said that several steps were not followed in disbanding ZIFA and establishing NFAZ which makes the later organisation non existent.

The Sports Commission presented several letters that it has written to ZIFA advising of the non existence of NFAZ which ZIFA choose not to adhere to.

According to one of the letters sent to ZIFA, the dissolution of ZIFA was done unconstitutionally as no special general meeting to dissolve the association was convened neither was the 75% stakeholders quorum to dissolve the association reached at the meeting where the resolution to dissolve was passed.

The Sports and Recreation Commission claims to have already prepared correspondence to Fifa advising government’s position on the matter.

The involvement of government on the matter will lead to an automatic dismissal of Zimbabwean National Soccer teams from all Fifa accredited competitions.

The ban will affect the senior men’s national team qualification to participate in the 2017 African Cup of Nations and the ladies team’s participation in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Fifa has in the meantime also rejected the establishment of NFAZ advising ZIFA of the procedures to be followed in moving from ZIFA to NFAZ.

Key element advised by Fifa is that there should thorough stakeholder and public consultations before the resolution is reached.

NFAZ President Philip Chiyangwa however remains adamant that ZIFA is no longer in existence.

In his campaign to winning ZIFA presidency Chiyangwa promised to get rid of all ZIFA debts within his first year in office and this latest move is viewed as a clandestine way of escaping the debts.