adminThe Justice Ebrahim-led ethics committee recommended that 98 players and officials be handed bans of between six months to life while exonerating just eight players and officials.
Some big Castle Lager Premier Soccer League clubs like Dynamos, Caps United and FC Platinum will be the hardest hit, especially if the Cuthbert Dube-led Zifa board endorses the recommendations.
Championship chasing DeMbare have eight players, former Cup Kings Makepekepe nine, FC Platinum have eight while Bulawayo’s Chicken Inn have three. Highlanders are the only big side with the least number, two, Beavan Chikaka and Milton Ncube. Dynamos have David Kutyauripo, Cliff Sekete, Milton Makopa, Guthrie Zhokinyi, George Magariro, Tawanda Muparati, Wonder Sithole and Martin Vengesai — all very crucial players in coach Callisto Pasuwa’s championship charge so far.
Caps United will be the hardest hit with nine players — Pride Tafirenyika, Hardlife Zvirekwi, Nyasha Mukumbi, Washington Pakamisa, Edmore Sibanda, Leonard Tsipa, Clive Kawinga, Marvel Samaneka and Asani Nhongo.
Former Highlanders captain Zephaniah Ngodzo, Daniel Vheremu, Tafadzwa Dube, Khumbulani Banda, Hardlife Mavundi, Thaban Kamusoko, Ali Sadiki, Tsungai Mudzamiri complete the FC Platinum list.
Innscor Africa-bankrolled Chicken Inn are third on the list with Evans Chikwaikwai, Thabani Goredema and Danny Phiri while second-placed Highlanders have the country’s second leading top goalscorer, Ncube and Chikaka.
Sources close to the proceedings in Harare said among those with life bans are three who were
part of the team that took part in the 2009 Cecafa and Cosafa tournaments.
A source in the capital confided to this publication that some Zifa board members had tried to push for a vote on whether to endorse the recommendations or totally pardon all the players but descend heavily on the officials.
Another source in the capital said it would have been ideal for football if Caps United’s Twine Phiri and Aces Academy’s Nigel Munyati had recused themselves from discussing the report. They have in between them almost a dozen players who have been mentioned among the 106 players and officials who travelled to Asia.
“The problem is that some of the board members might not be so clean after all while others have interests as some of them are from clubs with affected players. Plans were then put in motion to push for a vote with others trying to use political influence,” said the source.
Zifa chief executive officer, Jonathan Mashingaidze however vehemently denied the allegations that some board members wanted to chicken out and said the nation will be given the names today without fail.
“All the members of the board are in unison when it comes to this cancer. Why would we waste all these resources if we were not committed to its logical conclusion? The beauty and pain about the law is that it has no friend or even enemy, so tomorrow (today) we will give Zimbabwe those names,” said the Zifa head of secretariat.
The Zimbabwean scandal can best be compared to the Italian scandal, popularly known as Calciopoli.
Italian police uncovered evidence suggesting that Juventus general managers Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo had been influencing the appointment of referees and other evidence of telephone calls between team managers and referees organisations. As punishment, AC Milan were docked 30 points from the 2005/6 season regardless of the fact that they were owned by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and forced to play one game behind closed doors. Fiorentina and Lazio were removed from European competition and Juventus were stripped of their 2005/6 title, taken out of the Champions League and relegated to Serie B.
All eyes, just like in Zimbabwe now, were on what action will be taken.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter