Former ZIFA board member finance Philemon Machana —who is one of the aspiring candidates for the association’s presidency, has slammed allegations of financial misconduct and fraud labeled against him, saying they are a ‘malicious act to undermine his candidacy as well as tarnishing his reputation.’
The build up to the crucial ZIFA election slated for January 25 —dubbed by football stakeholders as one of the most fascinating since independence due to the number of high profile names who have thrown their names in the hat, has literally become a war zone, with attempts to bar certain candidates from taking part, now the order of the day.
This week, the attention of the ZIFA Ethics Committee —which will vet the candidates before announcing the successful candidates on December 23, was brought to letters objecting the candidacy of Machana, popular cleric Walter Magaya and Northern Region Soccer League chairman Martin Kweza.
The letter objecting Machana, written by one K. Mugadzaweta and also addressed to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), accused the Harare businessman of financial misconduct and fraud, related to a forensic audit done on ZIFA financial operations from December 2018 to November 2021.
In response, Machana, through his lawyers Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners, rubbished the allegations as well as their timing, on the basis that the cases were reported to ZACC just after the nomination process for the ZIFA election had concluded.
“Upon reviewing the attached documents, it appears that our client was reportedly reported to ZACC on 13 December 2024, shortly after the ZIFA nomination process concluded, in which he submitted his nomination for the position of President of ZIFA,” wrote Machana’s lawyers.
“Additionally, it is evident that the alleged criminal complaint was copied and delivered to both ZIFA and SRC on 16 December 2024.
“It is also evident that the criminal complaint submitted to ZACC was copied to the ZIFA Ethics Committee. We hasten to posit that the timing of this alleged complaint is highly suspicious and raises significant concerns as it appears to be
a deliberate attempt to:
i) Cast our client in a negative light and damage his reputation by
portraying him as a-reckless and incorrigible offender, which is entirely false.
ii) To color the minds and unduly influence the evaluation of our client’s candidacy by raising unfounded concerns about his eligibility for the position that he applied for.
“We view this action as a malicious attempt to undermine our client’s candidacy and tarnish his reputation.”
Machana, together with fellow former ZIFA executive committee members Felton Kamambo, Farai Jere and Bryton Malandule, were also acquitted of the aforementioned fraud allegations three years ago, with world governing body FIFA also nullifying the audit.