ZIMBABWE Football Association (ZIFA) Normalisation Committee chairman Lincoln Mutasa remains defiant saying he will not resign despite mounting pressure from Parliament.
This follows his recent appearance before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture, where Mutasa, alongside ZIFA CEO, Yvone Manwa and committee member Nyasha Sanyamandwe, had a dismal show, failing to adequately explain their mandate in overseeing the country’s football.
During the hearing chaired by Mhondoro-Mubaira MP Chamu Chiwanza, Mutasa struggled to articulate the committee’s achievements since appointment last year.
He admitted having never attended a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match, which further infuriated the Parliamentary Committee.
Chiwanza said Mutasa should resign from the Normalisation Committee.
Mutasa, whose tenure as the chairman was extended by FIFA recently, said he will not quit.
“FIFA is the one that engaged us to come and lead this normalisation. We have been reporting to them every month. Although MPs are interested in all of us leaving office, I believe we still have a job to complete this mandate and this job is basically to conduct elections…,” said Mutasa.
FIFA tasked the NC to restore stability to Zimbabwean football after years of mismanagement.
The NC has overseen a turbulent year with stagnation and failure to depart from the past maladministration.
Zimbabwe national teams are without permanent head coaches with chopping and changing of temporary coaches.
Innocent Benza, a Parliamentary Committee member, said the Mutasa led NC lacks seriousness in tackling problems bedeviling local football.
“My main worry is that some of the bad images we get as Zimbabwe are coming from football. We have people who are not serious with football. Even the issue of stadiums failing to be homologated does not necessarily have to do with substandard stadiums, it is showing that lack of commitment from our chief drivers.
“We have serious problems with our current NC which is quick to blame the previous ZIFA board but they themselves do not do anything since they were appointed.
“I am sorry to say Mr Mutasa does not understand what season went and it got finished and another one is halfway, and he was actually saying the PSL season is not yet over. We lack seriousness,” said Benza.