By Sports Reporter

THE suspended Felton Kamambo ZIFA-led board exposed its desperation to cling on to power amid pressure from the association’s congress and the Sports and Recreation Commission after appearing to ask FIFA to ban the country from international football.

Suspended ZIFA secretary general Joseph Mamutse on Friday wrote to the world football governing body begging for a ban after his boss Kamambo was barred from travelling to Cameroon for the AFCON finals.

Kamambo was invited to be part of the Afcon Cup final between Senegal and Egypt but was not allowed to leave the country due to his ongoing court case where he is accused of alleged vote buying ahead of the elections which ushered him into office.

However, Kamambo and his associates who are desperate to remain in office despite pressure from the SRC and its own members believe the latest move is a sign of government interference in the administration of the game.

“We wish to inform you that our FA president Mr Felton Kamambo was today barred from travelling for a football event he had been officially invited to attend,” Mamutse, who is also suspended wrote to FIFA on Friday

“We are informed that this was at the insistence of the SRC and a continuation of their interference in our football. While the FIFA letter has yet not come, our football continues to suffer at the hands of the SRC and we again continue to ask for FIFA’s intervention.

“The situation in Zimbabwe is such that football is now being run by the government and this latest act is again proof that the interference continues even long after the expiry of the deadline given by FIFA to the SRC. We wait for your guidance,” he said in the letter seen by NewZimbabwe.com.

The latest move by Kamambo exposes his desperation to have the country banned from international football to put pressure on the SRC to lift its suspension on his board.

While other ZIFA executive members such as Farai Jere, Barbra Chikosi, Sugar Chagonda have accepted their suspension by the SRC, Kamambo together with Philemon Machana and Bryton Malandule have continued their fight to remain in office.

The SRC suspended the Zifa board in the aftermath of a disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign in November citing several allegations such as misappropriation of public funds and sexual harassment of female referees.

In December FIFA demanded the reinstatement of the Kamambo led board by January 3 or else face sanctions which would see Zimbabwe barred from participating at the Afcon finals.

However, the SRC stuck to its guns and FIFA has remained mum much to the frustration of Kamambo and his associates.