Sports Reporter
AT least two officials have resigned from community soccer team Dulibazimu United currently facing sanctions from the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for refusing on Friday to proceed with a hearing.
Dulis, as the team is affectionately known, allegedly used illegitimate players in its development Under 19 side match against Vhembe Stars Academy Under 19.
Cash-strapped Dulis will part with US$3 000, $500 being for the Gwanda aborted hearing and the remainder for having their case heard in Gweru.
The resignations on Saturday were however said to be a result of unilateral decisions in the cockpit by some with long term plans to privatise the outfit run on ratepayer funds.
Municipality of Beitbridge fuels all the away games of the team in a deal negotiated by Dulis former public relations official Rex Mphisa.
“I have resigned from Dulibadzimu Utd, I dont want to be associated with bad apples,” Innocent Moyo said in a message to a Ziyah News Network reporter.
The other official said he has discontinued his welfare contributions and service.
Both officials were hurt by a decision to change a curtain raiser fixture between social soccer sides Soccer Sunday Reloaded and Tongwe Boozers planned over months to bring urban and rural supporters to Dulivhadzimu Stadium wherr Dulis play their last 2026 home fixture.
This publication has it in black and white where a senior Dulis official accused Reloaded of belonging to Vhembe Stars Academy hence they could not curtain raise a Dulibadzimu Utd match. It was called “football politics”.
But Moyo and Mphisa, and several other former Dulis officials are all players at Reloaded,making the allegation hollow and a blatant lie.
Reloaded at the fixture was replaced by UBB, a team where secretary general Mandla “Combat” Moyo turns out for and he is accused of using his influence at the team to cancel the Reloaded fixture.
Meanwhile Moyo, on Friday, refused to answer a charge of using Joe Innocent Muvambi and Adel Gerald Chipuye, two players belonging to Vhembe Stars Academy, in a match against the same team.
Vhembe Stars Academy played the game under protest, which is on record.
In a strange written refusal to answer the charges, Dulis, represented by Moyo asked a Vhembe chief executive Loadwell Ziyadumah to recuse himself from a disciplinary panel he was not part.
Dulis also denied the charge in a two page letter headlined “Written Explanation Preliminary Objection and Request for Recusal” signed by Moyo.
“We raise a preliminary objection which must be determined before merits: –
Vhembe Stars Academy, the complainant (Vhembe Stars Academy) in this matter is owned by a ZIFA Board Member (Ziyadumah) who is in charge of Competitions. He controls fixtures, referee’s appointments, disciplinary processes and postponements in the very league where his own club competes.”
Moyo, for Dulis, said this was a direct irreconcilable conflict of interest prohibited by a section of the ZIFA and FIFA statutes.
He said a hearing in Gwanda would not be fair to Dulis and preferred to go to Gweru.
In that two page submission Moyo listed several other issues only to realise he was misleading himself and Ziyadumah he acused of sitting on the disciplinary panel, was nowhere close to that.
A little too late, he changed his mind and said he would now answer the charges.
But the disciplinary board said he had rendered himself, for the team, time out. His request for “fair hearing” in Gweru was granted although Dulis is expected to $500 fee for the Gwanda sitting and yet another $2 500 to be heard in Gweru.
Dulis, denies it used ineligible players saying they did not know Joe Innocent Muvambi while Abel Gerald Chipuye is their player.
It however failed to produce Chipuye saying he is sitting for examinations.
Today, Dulis face Gwanda ZRP in their last home fixture before preparing for annual general elections held at the end of every season.
On the other hand, Reloaded has refixtured its game with Tongwe to Chamnanga Chidixwa Secondary School where the social club built a toilet for the school.
Dulis chairman Chris Kaurimbo said he is away in Zvishavane and was seeing some of these developments only on social media.
“I will see you when I come,” he said.