Centralgate report will not be publicised: Moyo

The report deals with allegations of match-fixing in the Zifa Central Region which was however extended to other local matches in the last three years.

 

The report was tabled before the Zifa Board last Saturday after the committee which includes retired referees Wilfred Mukuna, who is the vice-chairperson, Esther Mubaiwa and Reuben Pwanyiwa finalised their five-month probe into the issue.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Zifa Central Region mid-season indaba last Sunday, Zifa board member competitions, Benedict Moyo, said findings of the Mudzamiri-led committee would only be made public after a disciplinary committee led by Administrative Court president, Justice Custom Kachambwa completes its work. “We went through the (Centralgate) report at our last board meeting and there were recommendations that were made and we went through them. However, let me hasten to say this was an independent investigating committee and therefore we shall not edit all their findings but we will hand them to the disciplinary committee led by Justice Kachambwa who will have to go through the document and give us a timeframe as to when they will be through.

“In terms of the report going public we are sceptical especially after Asiagate. We don’t want the guys that investigated Centralgate to be victimised like myself and (Ndumiso) Gumede as we were forced to go into hiding and dress like women after the Asiagate report went public. So we want to protect them. The board has come up with a position that for now we are not going to make that document public,” Moyo said.

The probe was instituted after allegations of match-fixing rocked the Zifa Central Soccer League which implicated senior Zifa officials, referees, club administrators and players.

Zifa Central Region chairman Patrick Hokonya, his Southern Region counterpart Gift Banda and then referees’ committee acting chairperson Samukeliso Silengane were sucked into the scandal after they were implicated by Cosmas Nyoni who has turned star witness in the case. Nyoni admitted in court to match-fixing with some officials at Hardbody.