The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) have written to Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) boss Philip Chiyangwa after the latter went ahead to host FIFA boss Gianni Infantino despite receiving warnings to cancel the meeting.
Chiyangwa hosted Infantino and other Football Association presidents on Friday in Harare and the move seems to have plunged him into hot water with CAF.
The ZIFA and COSAFA boss is reported to have celebrated his birthday gathering in Harare on Thursday night which was attended by football association (FA) presidents as well as Infantino.
However, CAF president, Issa Hayatou has chosen to pursue the matter at the continental body’s summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 16.
The move comes after Hayatou said the Zimbabwean boss was not authorised to hold meetings with the FIFA boss without the consent of the African football governing body.
Furthermore, the move by Chiyangwa has been reported to have unsettled Hayatou ahead of the CAF presidential election this year.
COSAFA has since elected Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar, whom Chiyangwa has been canvassing support for.
Zimbabwean media reports reveal that a day before the birthday bash, CAF wrote a letter through general secretary, Hicham El Amrani, to Chiyangwa informing him that the issue had been placed on the agenda at the CAF executive committee meeting in Ethiopia in March.
“You clearly state you have convened an informal meeting in your personal capacity as Dr Philip Chiyangwa in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Friday February 24, 2017, such a meeting representing only a celebration of your victory at Cosafa, as well as a belated celebration of your birthday,” reads the letter.
“However, I must advise that we are somewhat surprised at the contents thereof, in that you appear to go to great lengths to advise or attempt to educate me on the provisions of both Caf statutes and Fifa regulations.
“For your information, I am well versed with both documents and always strictly adhere to the provisions of the same.
“The purpose of our letter to you would appear to have been totally misunderstood by you and this could have arisen as a result of a wrong perception, which you seem to create in your own letters, namely your letter addressed to the president of the Football Association of Zambia, Andrew Kamanga, on your personal letterhead inviting him to celebrate your election as COSAFA president, as well as your birthday, whereas your letter on the same date addressed to the president of the Mali Football Association uses the COSAFA letterhead and merely refers to your election and makes no reference to your birthday.”
