Trouble is looming again for Zimbabwe as it has emerged that another ban from a FIFA World Cup has been mooted.
The Warriors have already been banned from the 2018 Russia FIFA World Cup for failing to settle former Coach Valinhos outstanding salaries.
The Herald reports that ZIFA has been given yet another ultimatum to pay former coach Tom Santeiff his $180000 outstanding salary within 120 days or risk being thrown out of Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
ZIFA CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze confirmed the latest developments to the Herald saying the 120 days ultimatum started on 31 August 2015.
“FIFA ordered us to pay Tom Saintfiet $180 000 within 120 days from 31 August 2015 and we have been engaging Tom’s lawyers to find ways of extinguishing this debt.
“Our failure to clear this debt will leave Tom to invite FIFA to impose sanctions on us which sanctions could see FIFA suspending us from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but it is our wish to avoid going that route and we just have to look for the money,” Mashingaidze said.
ZIFA found themselves being saddled by the Saintfiet case after the short-lived ex Warriors gaffer initially won $150 000 in damages after dragging the association to FIFA
But with cash-strapped ZIFA unable to liquidate the debt, it has been accruing interest and has now been pegged at $180 000.
The Belgian dumped his job with the Brave Warriors of Namibia and was smuggled into the country torching a coaching crisis in the senior team’s dressing room that already had Norman Mapeza as the gaffer and had Madinda Ndlovu roped in as Saintfiet’s assistant.
Saintfiet took charge of two training sessions for the Warriors in one day in the week leading to a 2012 Nations Cup qualifier against Cape Verde at the National Sports Stadium.
He had signed a deal to coach the Warriors for four years, but all that went up in smoke after ZIFA were found to have had transgressed the country’s immigration laws, which resulted in Saintfiet being deported for working without a permit.
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