The Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association plans to boycott Castle Lager Premier Soccer League matches to express their dissatisfaction with Zimbabwe’s suspension by FIFA.
The suspension was a result of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) board’s suspension by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) over allegations of misappropriation of funds and sexual abuse of female referees.
FIFA has demanded the reinstatement of the ZIFA board led by Felton Kamambo as a condition for lifting the suspension and allowing Zimbabwe to return to the international football community. Anger and frustration continue to mount against the SRC.
The SRC, led by Gerald Mlotshwa, insists on following internal processes to restore order at ZIFA. However, this has upset supporters who planned a protest against the SRC at the National Sports Stadium. The protest was disrupted by the police for not complying with the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act. Despite this, the supporters remain defiant and plan to take other measures to pressure the SRC to act on the suspension.
Joseph Matawu, the Secretary-General of ZNSSA, stated that supporters are unhappy with the way football is being handled in the country. He said:
Very soon we are going to engage our supporters to boycott PSL matches. We will urge them not to attend PSL matches so that we send a strong message to the authorities that we are not settling for less.
We want international football back to our country as soon as possible. We are also going to engage with the President of the country, Cde E.D Mnangagwa so that he can resolve the ZIFA, FIFA impasse.
The planned boycott would be a blow to local football, which has been regaining its popularity as supporters return to the stadiums.