By Decide Nhendo
Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) is going to conduct a final meeting on Saturday February 24 where they are going to finalize which team is going to be promoted following Tenax FC’s complaint against Eastern Region Soccer League Division 1(ERSL) committee which had crowned Bikita Minerals FC as champions after punishing Grayham FC for using an unregistered player in their last meeting.
Speaking to TellZim News, ZIFA Eastern Region Soccer League Division One vice chairperson Wisdom Simba said following soccer processes they announced Bikita Minerals as 2023-2024 ERSL champions, but they were later invited to a meeting by ZIFA were they received a charge sheet written to them by ZIFA highlighting investigations to be conducted by ZIFA concerning ERSL championship.
“As ERSL committee we had already announced Bikita Minerals FC as champions for season 2023-2024, but we later on received a charge sheet from ZIFA after they invited us to a meeting, and they said they wanted to do some investigations following complain from Tenax FC,” said Simba.
Simba said if Tenax FC had an issue, they were supposed to follow soccer processes in their constitution rather than appealing to ZIFA.
“Tenax was supposed to follow our constitution’s rule 20 paragraph 3 which states that if a team want to appeal, they were supposed to pay a protest fee followed by assigning of an independent committee to overlook their matter,” he said.
Simba also said currently preparations for 2023-2024 preparations are going on well as all teams to play this season have paid affiliation fees and the fixture is already published as well as training of club security officers who will be managing games.
Speaking on the same issue, Tenax FC chairman Stefani Masina said Tenax FC was announced 2023 ERSL champions by several soccer bodies after they finished on top, but were shocked to hear that ERSL committee deducted their points siting they had used a player registered with another club, which he denied.
“We were crowned 2023 champions and several soccer bodies which include ZIFA congratulated us, but we were shocked to hear that our promotion was forfeited as they were issues that we used a player registered by another club, of which we deny cause all our players were eligible to play,” said Masina.
He said Tenax FC did not make an appeal on this case but only raised a complaint on how the issue was handled by ERSL committee.
Masina also said they tried to conduct the committee several times after they heard on press statement that Bikita Minerals FC were 2023 champions as they were awarded three points because they had used a player registered by Grayham FC, but the committee did not take heed of their complain and as a result they deemed it necessary to report to ZIFA.
“We tried several times to conduct the committee concerning forfeiture of our championship but they closed doors to us that is why we raised our issue to ZIFA and now the issue is being resolved as February 24 is the final day,” he said.
When the season came to an end Tenax FC was leading with 59 points, Bikita FC and FC Wangu Mazodze were following both with 58 points, but Bikita Minerals FC were crowned champions after being awarded three points for their 1-1 draw match with Grayham FC when ERSL committee verified that Grayham FC had used an unregistered player using a name of a registered player who was absent.
At a meeting held on Saturday 25 November 2023 at the Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare were all the parties involved were present, Bikita Minerals FC were awarded three points according to rule number 13.1 Grayham FC had three points deducted for using an unregistered player since it is breach of rule 14.1.6 of the ERSL rules and regulations and also rule 13.2.
Bikita Minerals alleged that Grayham FC used Munyaradzi Mapisa’s ZIFA identity card on Calvin Tinashe Chiwere a Melfort FC player.
Reached for comment by TellZim News through phone call Bikita Minerals Collin Nikisi public relations officer said he was going to send feedback through email or WhatsApp but up until time of publication he did not send any feedback and was no longer picking calls.
Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League is commencing on March 2, 2024.
