Asiagate banned culprits named

Zifa were handed over the Independent Ethics Committee Report on Tuesday and have gone through it.

 

They are expected in the next three weeks to release names of all those who have been punished for their part in the scandal that has shocked the world.

In August Interpol and Fifa made Southern Africa their second stop in a series of workshops meant to educate and help national associations curb match-fixing and corruption in the sport.

Former Zifa chief executive officer Henrietta Rushwaya, who is believed to have been the mastermind of the scam locally, was handed a life ban from football.

Four former members of the Warriors Method Mwanjali, Guthrie Zhokinyi, Thomas Sweswe and Edmore Sibanda had their careers shattered by the ban announced in the capital yesterday afternoon by Mashingaidze.

The players are believed to have been key to delivering the tainted results to an Asian betting syndicate, which was fronted by Raj Perumal who has already served time for a similar case in Finland and is awaiting trial in Hungary for another match-fixing charge.

Mwanjali was on a lucrative contract in South Africa where he turned out for Mamelodi Sundowns.

Zhokinyi has been the pillar of the Dynamos defence in the last three seasons while Sweswe found himself offloaded by South African glamour boys Kaizer Chiefs to lowly Bidvest Wits. Sweswe might have played his last professional game last night when Bidvest Wits met Kaizer Chiefs in the Telkom Cup.

Sibanda, an imposing figure between the goalposts was until August in the books of Caps United who released him for indiscipline.

Sunday Chidzambwa, the former Warriors captain and coach who now coaches Black Leopards in the South African Absa Premiership, was among the biggest casualties when he was banned for life from football.

The disgraced gaffer was stubborn refusing to avail himself before the ethics committee and another headed by Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede.

Quelaton assistant coach Danisa Phiri is also on the list, which has former Zifa programmes officer Jonathan Musavengana, former PSL secretary-general Godfrey Japajapa, player agent and former Darryn T player Kudzi Shabba, Dynamos fitness trainer, Thompson Matende who had a stint at the Warriors during Chidzambwa’s tenure as national team coach, former Monomotapa coach Rodwell Dlakama, former Aces goalkeeper and Warriors goalminders’ coach Emmanuel Nyahuma.

Monomotapa in 2009 played matches in Malaysia masquerading as the national team.

Sixteen players and officials were exonerated from the list of those who played a corrupt role, as it now appears that a number of players who could have initially been released at Zifa’s request will face the music in sentences to be spelt out in the next couple of weeks.

Gilbert Banda, Edward Sadomba, Cuthbert Malajila, Ernegy Murambadoro, Willard Manyatera, Brighton Tuwaya, Lincoln Zvasiya, David Kutyauripo, Washington Pakamisa, Kingstone Nkhata, Costa Nhamoinesu, Justice Majabvi, Richard Mteki, former Zifa councillor Somon Makuvaro, Zifa employee Cyril Mukweva and team doctor Edward Chagonda were all exonerated.

According to Justice Ahmed Ebrahim, the ethics committee chairman, his committee faced a number of challenges that included among others lack of resources.

As Zifa declared their zero tolerance to match-fixing yesterday, Mashingaidze said they would next week announce names of those to get 10-year bans from football.

Trouble started in August of 2007 when Zifa accepted invitations to play in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia, which was followed by another to Vietnam where the Warriors took part in the Agribank Cup.

Results were determined by Asian betting syndicate members who would sit on the bench with administrators, Zifa employees and members of the media.

At given intervals Zimbabweans would be told to concede goals.

Players have testified to the fact that results published back home were not necessarily a record of what would have transpired on the field.

In one of the glaring instances as they sought to maximise on numbers, gang members sent 13 players resulting in one journalist being fielded as a substitute.

Zimbabwe’s ranking in the Fifa Coca-Cola table took a tumble to over 120 as the team would lose to some unknown countries in South East Asia.

Chronicle was the first paper to break the stories on the illicit trips and also exposed Monomotapa when they masqueraded as the senior national team in Malaysia.

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