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FIFA Ends Zimbabwe's Suspension From International Football

© AFP 2023 JEKESAI NJIKIZANAZimbabwe's Khama Billiat (L) heads the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying round Group G football match between Zimbabwe and South Africa at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on September 3, 2021.
Zimbabwe's Khama Billiat (L) heads the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying round Group G football match between Zimbabwe and South Africa at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on September 3, 2021. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 11.07.2023
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In February 2022, world football's governing body FIFA banned the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) from participating in international competitions due to what it called government interference in the running of the association.
FIFA has officially lifted its 18-month suspension of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) ahead of the draw for the African qualification competition for the next World Cup.
"The Bureau of the FIFA Council decided to lift the suspension that was imposed on the Zimbabwe Football Association in February 2022 and appoint a normalization committee with immediate effect," FIFA said in a statement on Monday.
According to the organization, an interim normalization committee has been created to run the affairs of the association until election for a new board is held.
It was noted that the committee is also expected to restructure ZIFA administration and review its statutes and electoral code "to ensure their compliance with the FIFA Statutes and requirements, and to ensure their adoption by the ZIFA Congress."
The committee will be headed by local administrator Lincoln Mutasa, and is requried to complete his mandate by June 2024.
Zimbabwe was suspended by FIFA in February last year following accusations of government interference in the operations of the country's football association. In 2021, the ZIFA executive committee was dissolved by the Sports and Recreation Commission of Zimbabwe in the light of allegations that it misappropriated the money allocated by the government for the country's participation in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Players of the Moroccan national football team attend a training session in Sale on March 21, 2023 ahead of their friendly match against Brazil - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 20.05.2023
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