Bikita Minerals F.C. Wait On ZIFA
Bikita Minerals Football Club’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) status has not yet been confirmed by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Normalisation Committee after Tenax lodged a late appeal to ZIFA as well as the Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC), reported The Sunday Mail.
ZIFA then delayed the decision to confirm Bikita Minerals as the 2023 Eastern Region Soccer League (ERSL) Division One champions.
Bikita Minerals were promoted to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League ahead of Tenax following a boardroom decision.
Tenax had seemingly won the championship on the final day of the 2023 season but the ERSL later promoted Bikita Minerals into the Castle Lager Premiership.
Bikita Minerals were awarded maximum points from their final match of the season on the basis that Grayham had used an ineligible player.
The awarding of the points placed Bikita Minerals on top of the log standings, and Tenax in second position.
Tenax had finished a point above Bikita Minerals after winning their game 6-1 at home while the lithium miners had been held to a 1-1 draw at Grayham.
ZIFA chief executive officer Yvonne Mapika Manwa wrote to the ERSL to attend the Appeals Committee hearing this week. She wrote:
The Zimbabwe Football Association is in receipt of your letter dated 21st January 2024 and hereby acknowledges its contents.
The letters from Tenax Football Club appear to clearly confirm that they are complaining against the Eastern Region Soccer League.
It is not in accordance with both substantive and procedural justice that they present their case against a party that they have a grievance with.
You are therefore advised that the meeting will go as planned and you will cater for your travelling.
In response to ZIFA’s summons, ERSL administrator Fungai Munyoro questioned why ZIFA was entertaining an appeal from Tenax when the club were not party to the initial dispute which involved Bikita and Grayham.
The ERSL insists that the matter was dealt with in line with the league’s standing rules and FIFA statutes.
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