adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS Football Club are on alert following shocking revelations that some players wanted the club relegated to the Zifa Southern Region Division One last season.
Zifa has also called on Bosso to provide any information, no matter how insignificant, to them for further investigation.
The Bulawayo giants have since resolved to change their usual Monday agenda to incorporate the allegations to come up with a sound resolution on the matter which, if true, could hit the club’s image.
Chronicle Sport revealed early this week that some Highlanders players wanted to get the team relegated in protest over the club’s decision to offload some of them for reasons ranging from indiscipline to below par performances.
This was after a list with names of players who were set to be offloaded allegedly leaked to the players with about five games left before the 2014 season came to an end.
“We understand that players can come and go but for the club to come up with such a list at a time that things weren’t well on the field of play was a bit disturbing.
“The list had more than half the senior players going and word was that it was compiled by one of the executive members (name supplied),” a senior player confided.
Suspicions are that the leak was a deliberate ploy to cause disharmony in the team ahead of the annual general meeting and elections.
The player said some players connived to sabotage the team so that it could be relegated to Division One to fix who ever came up with the list.
“It was common knowledge that a new coach was going to be appointed at the end of the season and we wondered why the executive wanted to fire players instead of waiting for the new coach to do his own assessment of players,” said an unnamed player.
An angry Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede, while lashing at this writer for what he called were attempts to destroy Highlanders by presenting the institute in bad light to the sponsors and fans, revealed that the club was on alert and would meet on Monday to discuss the issue.
“Your reports are damaging to the club, every now and again I’ve to be firefighting. Remember I also have to answer to some people up there (sponsors) who are concerned about such reports. We’ve called a meeting on Monday to look at the allegations because they border on serious match-fixing allegations,” said Gumede.
Zimbabwe is still fresh from the damaging Asiagate scandal that saw more than 100 players and officials being found on the wrong side of the law.
Ironically, Gumede was one of the two chief investigators with former Zifa board member Benedict Moyo.
Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela said while the association had not received any official report from Highlanders, it had zero tolerance to match-fixing and will deal ruthlessly with any perpetrators.
“If Highlanders has any information on their players trying to manipulate results, they should forward that evidence to the association and we’ll take appropriate information in the best interest of football, match manipulation runs against the spirit of fair play, whether there was money involved or not,” said Gwesela.
Online Reporter