Football fans urge Mnangagwa to rein in his son-in-law

Football supporters are urging Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, to intervene in the standoff between the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) and suspended members of the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) board.

Gerald Mlotshwa is the current chairman of the board of commissioners at the Sports and Recreation Commission.

Mlotshwa is married to Farai Mnangagwa, the daughter of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Last year, Zimbabwe was suspended by Fifa due to government interference in football matters, after the SRC dismissed Zifa board members, including the president, Felton Kamambo.

An emergency general meeting organised by other Zifa members also dismissed Kamambo and his team, but Fifa declared the meeting illegal and refused to endorse its outcomes.

Zimbabwe was stripped of its Fifa membership rights, including participation in international games and developmental grants.

To be readmitted into the international football family, Fifa wants the SRC to reinstate Kamambo and his board, but the SRC appointed a restructuring committee instead, which Fifa has advised against.

The Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters’ Association (ZNSSA) has asked Mnangagwa to intervene, saying that the SRC’s “reform efforts” have caused chaos in domestic football, and urging the SRC to end the impasse.

“We urge and plead with our listening President ED Mnangagwa to chip in, reign in Mlotshwa and Kamambo and knock sense in their heads,” said ZNSSA secretary-general Joseph Mutawu in a Press statement.

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