HARARE - The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) Assembly is set to bring to finality the issue of the relegation format that will be used by the Castle Premier Soccer League (PSL).
According to the associations’ website, the Zifa Assembly is scheduled to convene next month on July 26 for an Extra Ordinary Meeting where the relegation issue will be top of the agenda.
Zifa and the PSL are at logger heads over the number of teams to be relegated at the end of this season.
Currently, four teams are demoted at the end of each year to accommodate the respective winners from the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Central regions Division One leagues.
“I am glad to say that the ZIFA Assembly scheduled for next month will finalise the issue of the relegation format for the PSL,” Mashingaidze said.
“As you are aware the assembly is the highest parliament of football.”
Last year, the PSL executive appealed to Zifa to review the matter and have a reduction on the number of teams that would be relegated from the country’s top flight league.
The PSL felt that the current set-up where four teams are demoted effectively amounted to the reduction of 25 percent of the teams from the league was too high and affected the competitiveness of local football.
The league insists that only two clubs should be relegated. Saying they will welcome two teams, who would have been promoted from Division One despite the fact that there are four second tier leagues in the country.
Zifa on the other hand want a Champion of Champions tournament featuring the four regional winners with the top two winners getting an automatic entry into the elite league.
The PSL also cited examples from most countries such as South Africa, Zambia and Botswana where not more than two clubs are relegated from the top flight.
It is now incumbent on the Zifa Assembly to work on the relegation modalities and come up with a final resolution on the matter.
The Zifa Assembly has 58 members and 16 of them are the PSL representatives.