Asiagate: JFA refuse to comment

Herald can also reveal that the invitation letter purportedly from the Japanese Football Association was in fact addressed to Twine Phiri, a member of the board representing the Premier Soccer League and Malawian agent, Felix Sapao.
Normal business practice would have been that correspondences of that nature are funnelled through the office of the head of secretariat, who in Zifa’s case at the time could have been Henrietta Rushwaya, the fired CEO.
Investigations by the paper further reveal that when the letter was received via the address, Phiri, Moyo and Nigel Munyati, the board member for marketing deliberated on the matter and agreed to assemble a team to fulfil the fixture.
Mozambique had initially been the team pencilled for the match against Japan but pulled out at the last minute citing their inability to assemble a competitive team to represent the country inside the stipulated 72 hours.
That is when Zifa chipped in to play in this match, listed by Fifa as one of the matches believed to have been fixed with traces of the jailed Wilson Raj Perumal very prominent.
It is at that match, which lately has become a flash point with the captain of the day Method Mwanjali, alleged to have demanded some money, to which Moyo responded by branding the player disrespectful and the rest now is a matter of public conjecture.
Rushwaya refused to comment.
JFA confirmed that they generated the letter but said they would not be talking about the matter, considering the time that had lapsed and that Fifa had in fact inquired about the said match and gave them their explanation.
“AS JFA, we have given our side of our story to Fifa to the best of knowledge and as such we will not make more comments to individuals or associations as that matter is closed with us.
“We do not want to reopen that case again and as an association we took our losses over the matter. And please understand our position, we are not being arrogant,” said an official with the JFA, who just gave his name as Miyoshi.
While FIFA have listed that match as one suspected to have been fixed, Zifa have conveniently decided to punish some of the players fingered in that match but left out officials who included the Head of Delegation, Moyo.
But the paper also established that Sapao, to whom the invitation was sent, together with Phiri arranged the match and bought tickets for the delegation from a travel agent Brian Chandiwana, who is still owed money by Sapao after he failed to pay the full cost of the tickets before the team left, saying he would bring the balance from South Africa.
Efforts to get Chandiwana were fruitless at the time of going to press.
Unconfirmed reports say that Moyo was asked by his board after return that he surrendered a few thousands left of the money officially received on the trip and at the time of going to press, that money had still not been receipted at Zifa House.
Fifa Head of Security Chris Eaton said that investigations are ongoing and that a lot of matches, the Japan versus Zimbabwe included, have been looked into but no decision has yet been reached on the status of that match.
“Like I said before, a lot matches could have been fixed and that Zimbabwe – due to its financial status – will always be a target, more as victims, but if a matter involves an official of the association, the prudent thing to do is come forward with any information that will help us get to the bottom of the matter.
“At the moment, I can say investigations are underway and in due course, the truth of the matter will out. We are closely monitoring events in Zimbabwe,” said Eaton from his base in Europe.
The Zifa board who have suspended players and officials fingered in recently weeks will be under spotlight to see what they are expected to do in view of the latest turn of events. Will they call Moyo, Phiri and Munyati to explain themselves or they will simply ignore it?
Zifa President Dube is expected back today from the Afcon and CAF Congress held on Friday.