{"id":829461,"date":"2025-02-24T13:12:18","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T19:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/24\/wicknell-chivayo-denies-zifa-vote-buying-allegations-calls-petition-baseless\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T13:12:18","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T19:12:18","slug":"wicknell-chivayo-denies-zifa-vote-buying-allegations-calls-petition-baseless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/24\/wicknell-chivayo-denies-zifa-vote-buying-allegations-calls-petition-baseless\/","title":{"rendered":"Wicknell Chivayo Denies ZIFA Vote-Buying Allegations, Calls Petition \u201cBaseless\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Wicknell Chivayo Denies ZIFA Vote-Buying Allegations, Calls Petition \u201cBaseless\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo has vehemently denied allegations that his public pledge to support the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) under the leadership of Nqobile Magwizi constitutes \u201cvote-buying\u201d or violates the FIFA Code of Ethics.<\/p>\n

This comes after a petition reportedly intended for submission to FIFA, accusing Chivayo of attempting to influence ZIFA\u2019s electoral outcomes through his financial support.<\/p>\n

In a strongly worded statement<\/a>, Chivayo dismissed the claims as \u201cbaseless, misleading, and totally unfounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has come to my attention that an alleged \u201cPETITION\u201d is being intended for submission to FIFA through social media, alleging that my public pledge to support ZIFA under the leadership of NQOBILE MAGWIZI constitutes \u201cvote-buying\u201d and violates the FIFA Code of Ethics. I REFUTE these allegations , which are BASELESS, MISLEADING, and totally UNFOUNDED. My commitment to Zimbabwean football has always been driven by a desire to see the sport THRIVE and reach its FULL potential, not by any ulterior motives to influence electoral outcomes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"New
New ZIFA President Nqobile Magwizi (Image Credit: Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also Read:\u00a0Wicknell Chivayo Promises US$10 Million and Luxury Cars If Nqobile Magwizi Wins ZIFA Presidency<\/a><\/p>\n

Wicknell Chivayo: \u201cI Am Not Bound by FIFA Code of Ethics\u201d<\/h2>\n

Wicknell Chivayo emphasized that he is not subject to the FIFA Code of Ethics, as he is neither a ZIFA official, board member, nor councilor.<\/p>\n

He cited Articles 20 and 21 of the code, which govern the offering and accepting of gifts or benefits by individuals bound by the code, stating that they do not apply to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a private businessman acting within the bounds of the law and out of a genuine commitment to the development of football in Zimbabwe,\u201d Chivayo said.<\/em><\/p>\n

He further argued that there is no evidence that Magwizi or any ZIFA officials have accepted or acted upon his offers, rendering the allegations \u201centirely unsubstantiated and without any basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denial of Political Interference<\/h2>\n

Chivayo also refuted claims that his support for ZIFA is tied to political interference involving Zimbabwe\u2019s ruling party, ZANU PF. While acknowledging his membership in ZANU PF, he stressed that his business operations and philanthropic efforts are conducted independently and funded solely from his personal and corporate resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe attempt to politicize my contributions is a fabrication designed to sow division and discredit both myself and the party I support,\u201d Chivayo said. <\/em><\/p>\n

He described the allegations as \u201cabsurd, defamatory, and untrue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anonymous Petition Dubbed \u201cMalicious\u201d<\/h2>\n

Wicknell Chivayo accused the anonymous petition of being crafted by a \u201cwell-known critic of ZANU PF and a personal adversary\u201d who has consistently sought to defame him.<\/p>\n

He pointed to the critic\u2019s past objections, including criticism of his decision to offer musician Thomas \u201cMukanya\u201d Mapfumo a house upon his return to Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe petition is nothing more than a continuation of these malicious efforts and should be treated as such,\u201d Chivayo said. <\/em><\/p>\n

He urged FIFA to dismiss the petition \u201cwith the contempt it deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Call for Unity and Support for ZIFA<\/h2>\n

Wicknell Chivayo expressed his unwavering support for Nqobile Magwizi, describing him as a leader with \u201cintegrity, business acumen, and passion for the sport.\u201d He called on Zimbabweans to give Magwizi and his board a fair chance to lead ZIFA toward a brighter future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the losing candidates are so heartbroken, I\u2019m happy to meet them and apologize to them as well as agree on a gentleman\u2019s private settlement.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

For the benefit of the sport, let\u2019s give Mr. Magwizi and his board a fair chance to start their assignment and embrace the mandate before them. Enough said,\u201d Chivayo said.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wicknell Chivayo Denies ZIFA Vote-Buying Allegations, Calls Petition \u201cBaseless\u201d Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo has vehemently denied allegations that his public pledge to support the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) under the leadership of Nqobile Magwizi constitutes \u201cvote-buying\u201d or violates the FIFA Code of Ethics. This comes after a petition reportedly intended for submission to FIFA, accusing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":829462,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[140061,140060],"tags":[140059,140058],"class_list":["post-829461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chivayo","category-wicknell","tag-chivayo","tag-wicknell"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=829461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/829462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=829461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=829461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=829461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}