Lovemore Dube, lovemore.dube@chronicle.co.zw
THE incoming Zifa president will receive US$50 000 per year from Caf.
This substantial increase from US$20 000 was unanimously approved by all 54 Caf-member countries in October last year.
Caf president, Patrice Motsepe deemed the new compensation “insignificant”, highlighting the organisation’s commitment to supporting its national association heads.
Other key officials, including Caf vice presidents and executive committee members, also received notable salary hikes of US$20 000.
Presidents of zonal bodies like Cosafa and Cecafa received an increment of US$25 000.
It was also resolved last year that a chairman be appointed to head the African Clubs Association and be entitled to US$50 000.
National association presidents are not full-time employees but volunteers who get compensated for their time.
Zifa has been headed by a Normalisation Committee chaired by Lincoln Mutasa for the past two years.
Motsepe has been an advocate of better remuneration for member association bosses since he first took office.
“Some of your presidents have no resources, they’ve got nothing and they’ve got to run the member associations out of their pockets,” said Motsepe.
The gesture comes on the eve of March’s Caf elective meeting at which Motsepe is seeking another term at the helm.
Motsepe and other Fifa vice presidents get US$300 000 a year.
Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, gets more than US$4,67 million.
When attending Fifa business, they are entitled to US$250 from the world football governing body.
Members of Fifa committees who do not get an annual salary receive compensation grants at the rate of US$300 a day or US$200 if they are provided breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Philemon Machana, Martin Kweza, Nqobile Magwizi, Twine Phiri, Makwinji Soma-Phiri, and Marshall Gore are the six candidates approved by Zifa’s integrity and ethics committee to stand for the association’s presidency.
Walter Magaya, previously considered a favourite, Benjani Mwaruwari and Themba Mliswa did not make the cut.
Zifa is expected to make a final announcement on the final list and voting members of the Zifa Council tomorrow.
It is anticipated that some names previously left out may appear.
For the vice president’s post, Gift Banda was omitted and jointly took the matter to the Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS) with Mwaruwari.
Magaya and Mliswa took their case to the High Court, contrary to the dictates of the Zifa constitution and electoral code that demand that disputes be referred to CAS.
For the first time in the Zifa constitution, a clause that demands five O-Levels or an equivalent was inserted for the president and deputy president.