By McGeorge Mbare
THE Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has broken its silence following Marshall Munetsi’s public outburst over his omission from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 final squad.
Following criticism by vice-captain Munetsi over the national team’s decision to exclude him from the squad, ZIFA issued a statement explaining that it had requested a written letter of consent and a liability waiver from the player’s club — a critical prerequisite under the FIFA Club Protection Programme. However, the association did not receive the required consent and liability waiver from the club.
ZIFA said that without the necessary clearance, it could not risk exposing either the association or the player’s club to uninsured risk and regulatory non-compliance under FIFA regulations.
“Following Mr Marshall Munetsi’s expressed willingness to represent Zimbabwe despite the injury, ZIFA formally requested a written letter of consent and a liability waiver from his club,” the statement reads.
“This documentation is a critical prerequisite under the FIFA Club Protection Programme, which governs compensation, insurance exposure, and liability management where professional players, particularly those carrying injuries, are released for international ‘A’ matches.
“Mr Marshall Munetsi was duly advised that the required club consent and liability waiver had not been received and was kept informed of the status of this process. However, by the time the CAF deadline for AFCON squad submission was reached, the mandatory documentation remained outstanding.
“In the absence of these clearances, ZIFA could not lawfully expose both the Association and the player’s club to uninsured risk and regulatory non-compliance under the FIFA Club Protection Programme.
“As a result, the Head Coach was left with no alternative but to proceed with players who were fully fit, medically cleared, insured, and procedurally eligible, in strict adherence to CAF squad submission requirements and FIFA player protection frameworks,” ZIFA said.
With seven days remaining before the AFCON 2025 tournament kicks off in Morocco, teams are finalising preparations for the prestigious competition.
Zimbabwe’s campaign will begin on 22 December with an opening match against Egypt.