Daggers have been drawn in the looming war between Zifa and the National Premier Soccer League over the contentious issue of how much the top-flight clubs should pay to the mother body in levies.

Zifa, who believe the league reneged on an earlier agreement to pay them $2 from every ticket sold at NPSL games, have called for an emergency executive meeting in Harare tonight to discuss the issue.

Although it is one of five items on the agenda sent out by Zifa secretary-general Phil Hwata yesterday, there is no doubt that the issue of levies which induced Zifa to threaten the league with suspension last month is the hottest.

The league, which had earlier agreed to pay Zifa $2 from every ticket sold, reverted to paying the association two percent of net gate takings, which is in the agreement between the two parties, after clubs found they were suffering more financially.

But Hwata said yesterday the clubs could not just pass a decision on their own and go back on an agreement between the two parties without holding another official meeting with Zifa.

"We want them to say whatever they are saying in an executive meeting. They have to come to us officially. We have to sit around a table and discuss this issue.

"We need to hear why the NPSL agreed to give us $2 per ticket in the first place and went on to pay us in the first three weeks they played their games. I think it's in the interest of football," said Hwata.

NPSL secretary-general Chris Sibanda differed saying they had already informed Zifa about the clubs' decision not to pay them $2 per ticket and as far as they were concerned the issue was settled.

"We wrote to Zifa soon after the clubs' meeting in August and we told them the issue had been rejected. I'm surprised that Hwata can ask for an official communication from us."

In a letter dated August 13 Sibanda advised the Zifa secretary-general that the proposal that clubs pay $2 from every ticket to Zifa had been rejected because the teams were reeling under severe financial constraints themselves.

Sibanda also advised Zifa that the two NPSL representatives on the Zifa Executive (chairman Morrison Sifelani and Sibanda) had no mandate to accept such a levy on behalf of the clubs.

"We are not discussing that. We will pay them two percent of the net until another agreement has been brokered. That issue should be removed from the agenda,: said Sibanda.

The league would also question why they should be part of the Zifa executive committee when a number of decisions, including the hiring and firing of coaches, had been taken without their input.

"I really appreciate Hwata's concern that sometimes there is need to sit down and discuss but a number of decisions have been taken without us."

The NPSL and Zifa are also set to clash on items pertaining to proposed amendments to the constitution, a change to the Castle Cup programme and a late invitation by the Libyan Football Association to take part in a tournament later this month.

Hwata said they had already turned down the Libyan invitation because of the heavy domestic league schedule. Ten teams, said Hwata, were scheduled to take part in the Tripoli tournament which was scheduled to start on September 27.

Hwata said they also wanted the Castle Cup final to be moved from December 23 to an earlier date because sponsors National Breweries had complained that the date was too close to the Christmas holidays and would not attract a lot of people.

Sibanda refused to change the date because of the consequences it would have on their league and BP Cup programmes for the year. He also questioned the discussion of amendments to the Zifa constitution when recommendations by the Justice Garwe Commission of Inquiry into Football were yet to be implemented.

Following a number of incidents in which cashiers have stolen ticket books at games, the National Premier Soccer League have resolved to change the points of ticket sales and personnel manning the gates.

The NPSL secretary-general, Chris Sibanda, said beginning with this weekend's BP League Cup quarter-final match between Dynamos and Highlanders at the National Sports Stadium, tickets for the game would be sold from caravans around the stadium. It is only after the spectators have bought the tickets from the caravans that they will proceed to the turnstiles.

Prior to this action, the NPSL are reported to have been prejudiced of huge sums of money in potential gate takings by cashiers who stole ticket books. In the last two months there have been three reported cases of fraud by cashiers at NPSL games leading to arrests and court appearances by the accused cashiers.

Sibanda also said that beginning with the Dynamos/Highlanders game on Sunday, the NPSL would be appointing cashiers from charitable organisations such as the Jairos Jiri organisation and churches to man the gates. He also said members of the NPSL management would become active in supervising these activities.

"We have decided to employ people from charitable organisations because we feel they can be fully trusted. To guard against any future losses, we have also decided to become actively involved in the manning of the gates and ticket selling points." said Sibanda yesterday.

However, Sibanda said the Zimbabwe Saints/CAPS United game also on Sunday would use the old system as the NPSL had failed to secure caravans to be used as ticket selling points.

In a letter to the NPSL, a copy of which is in the hands of the Chronicle, the Jairos Jiri Association expressed their gratitude to the league for employing some of their members to man the gates. The league have employed 40 cashiers for the game between Saints and CAPS on Sunday.

Highlanders' injury woes continued with news that four of their players might not be able too make the trip to Harare for the BP League Cup quarter-final second leg tie against Dynamos on Sunday.

Highlanders' team medic Emmett Ndlovu yesterday confirmed that Thulani Ncube and Gift Lunga (Sr.) were still unfit to play. The two players were injured alongside chief striker Zambian Kelvin Kaindu during the BP League Cup first round matches at Barbourfields Stadium three weeks ago.

According to Ndlovu, Ncube would only be able to begin training in two weeks' time.

The National Premier Soccer League management committee and ZBC have reached an agreement which will allow the corporation to take over from Destiny Media Production and conduct live commentaries on soccer matches organised by the league.

Chris Sibanda, the NPSL secretary-general, said after giving Destiny the boot last month, they worked out an agreement which gave ZBC the rights to conduct live commentaries on Radio One every week.

Sibanda said ZBC would pay the league $10 000 for each commentary of their choice and a round-up of other matches throughout the country.

The NPSL secretary-general said ZBC also agreed to look for ways of ensuring Radio Two would carry commentaries on their matches as well.

A senior ZBC spokesman, who declined to be named, confirmed that they had concluded an agreement with NPSL on radio commentaries of top-flight matches. ZBC started commentaries two weeks ago.

Sibanda said the league were now working at establishing a company that would source for sponsorship next year, and in conjunction with ZBC, ensure that live broadcasts were carried by all stations. The league were also looking at bringing back the Game of the Week programme on television.

The NPSL management gave Destiny Productions the shove after six months following numerous squabbles over money and a bigger rights issue.

Apart from failing to meet their obligations for match commentaries, Destiny had still not paid the $375 000 they had agreed to offset the loss of earnings the league were claiming from ZBC commentaries of their games in previous years.

The production house which has several directors at the top and Farayi Mungazi and Steve Vickers as executive producers, received sponsorship from a number of companies such as Hyundai, air Zimbabwe, National Breweries, Power Sales and National Foods for the commentaries.