Zimbabwe has been suspended by FIFA from all international football because that country’s government has been interfering with the affairs of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA).
The international governing body of association football informed Zifa General Secretary Joseph Mamutse of the suspension in an email sent Thursday.
Following a series of communications regarding the matter, Fatma Samoura, the secretary general, said in the email that the “FIFA Council decided to suspend ZIFA with immediate effect due to flagrant violations of the FIFA Statutes”.
FIFA said the suspension means that ZIFA loses all its membership rights as of 24 February 2022 until further notice.
“ZIFA representatives and club teams are therefore no longer entitled to take part in international competitions until the suspension is lifted,” said the email.
“This also means that neither the ZIFA nor any of its members or officials may benefit from any development programmes, courses or training from FIFA and/or CAF.”
The development comes after the Zimbabwe government’s Sports and Recreation Commission suspended the executive board of ZIFA for gross incompetence in November last year.
FIFA also announced that it had suspended Kenya for the same reasons related to government interference.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announces suspensions of Zimbabwe and Kenya from international football
