THE Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) says it will not reduce nomination fees for elections after the first round of voting kicked off at the weekend.
Those seeking the ZIFA positions at national level will part with US$500, for the Premier Soccer League and regions US$400, US$300 for provinces and $200 for area zones and districts.
Last week, the ZIFA Board met with the Sports and Recreation Commission Board in Bulawayo where the issue was raised. But ZIFA chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya said they were only asked to justify the figures.
"We were asked to justify the figures and we presented our budget to them, not that we were told to slash (fees)," Rushwaya said.
Last week, Bulawayo lawyer Joseph James, the SRC chairman, said they had directed ZIFA to slash the fees.
James said: "We expressed our concerns at the amounts ZIFA were asking as nomination fees. We felt they were rather too high and we ordered them to reduce the amounts so that they will be affordable. They (ZIFA) gave us their side of the story.
“They said they did not have the funds needed to hold the elections yet the polls must be held. But we maintained that they reduce the fees so that they are (more) affordable.”
But as the elections kicked off on Saturday, the figures had not been reduced as three candidates were ruled out in the Midlands after failing to raise the required amounts.
Brian Austin Chishanga was elected the chairman, former Highlanders secretary Horace Ndubiwa won the elections in Bulawayo, while Dennis Tshuma and Nkosilathi Ncube were victorious in Matabeleland North and South respectively.