ZIFA finally speaks out on Marshall Munetsi’s AFCON exclusion
FOLLOWING a public outcry over the exclusion of Marshall Munetsi from the Warriors’ Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad, the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has finally spoken.
The association released a statement Saturday in which it shared its side of the story regarding the matter.
Initially, there had been concerns why Munetsi was excluded from the national team, while he publicly stated that there was no official communication between his club and ZIFA.
Munetsi claims his club cleared him to play in AFCON, and ZIFA failed to maintain communication rather, they based their decision on media reports to rule him out.
Contrary to what Munetsi alleged, ZIFA maintained that it kept the lines of communication open with his club.
“In accordance with applicable CAF regulations and the FIFA Club Protection Programme (2023-2026), ZIFA maintained official, continuous, and fully documented communication with Mr. Marshall Munetsi’s club regarding his medical condition and availability for international duty.
“These engagements were conducted formally and in strict compliance with CAF competition regulations and FIFA frameworks governing player release, insurance coverage, and institutional duty of care.
“Concurrently, the Head Coach maintained open and direct communication with Mr. Marshall Munetsi, ensuring that the player was fully informed throughout the process.
“This approach reflected ZIFA’s commitment to transparency, coordination, and respect for the player, while aligning the technical, medical, and administrative arms of the Association,” said ZIFA.
Although ZIFA is claiming to have been in touch with Munetsi and his club in a statement, the Warriors vice-captain said only coach Marinica informed him on Thursday morning that he had been excluded from the squad due to injury.
The football mother body has been caught offside several times for failing to maintain good communication between players and themselves. Three months ago, Sean Fusire had to come out in public and highlight his snubbing from the squad simply because he had requested better travelling conditions. _*NewZimbabwe*_
