Prominent lawyer and opposition Citizens for Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere has blasted Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry for being insensitive to the plight of football players.
Mahere’s sentiments come in the wake of Coventry revealing in Parliament that her ministry and the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) do not want to have the FIFA suspension lifted at this point.
Zimbabwe was suspended by FIFA for government interference after the SRC suspended the Felton Kamambo-led ZIFA administration for several allegations.
FIFA’s only condition for the embargo to be lifted is the unconditional reinstatement of the Kamambo-led board but Coventry insists there are “cleaning Zimbabwean football” and having the suspension lifted is not a priority.
Mahere took to microblogging site Twitter to criticize Coventry, accusing her of arrogantly dealing with the issue.
Dear @KirstyCoventry
“A disservice to who?” You arrogantly ask.
A disservice to all the footballers whose careers have stagnated because of the international football ban you caused.
Imagine if Zimbabwe had been banned from the Olympics at the height of your swimming career? pic.twitter.com/5uSKF0tJvA
— Fadzayi Mahere🇿🇼 (@advocatemahere) March 30, 2023