adminthe appointments of referees who handled those games, how the system could have been manipulated by betting syndicates and its influence on the results.
One of those referees, Ibrahim Chaibon, from Niger, handled the match between Bafana Bafana and Guatemala at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on May 31, which the South Africans won 5-0.
Chaibon is at the centre of a Fifa match-fixing investigation after his questionable showing in Nigeria’s friendly international against Argentina, which the Super Eagles won 4-1.
The latest developments will bring further questions to Zifa’s approach to their Asiagate investigations after Benedict Moyo, the secretary of that investigation committee, told journalists in Johannesburg on Saturday that they noted Zimbabwe’s friendly against South Africa but did not include it in their final report.
But, with Fifa revealing that they are looking at Bafana Bafana’s 2010 World Cup warm-up matches, the Zifa Asiagate investigating committee’s policy to pick and choose matches, which they could investigate and note probably depending on their interests, will be put sharply into focus.
For, given Zifa’s hardline stance where all players who took part in suspicious matches are blacklisted from playing for the Warriors until they are cleared, Fifa’s move means that the Warriors who featured in that Durban friendly against Bafana should also be blacklisted. That match, which the Zimbabweans lost 0-3, marked Knowledge Musona’s debut for the Warriors.
Those who have been opposing Zifa’s blanket approach to declaring every player guilty, unless proven innocent, will point to this development as another example of the dangers of making emotional decisions that could backfire badly.
Safa’s response to Fifa’s announcement that it is investigating a number of Bafana Bafana’s matches will also be interesting when compared to the way Zifa have handled its Asiagate investigations and, in particular, the burden of responsibility that has been passed on the players.
Virtually all of South Africa’s top players featured in those matches that are now under scrutiny.
The arrival of a Fifa match-fixing investigation on the Safa doorstep will also help ease the pressure that has been piled on the Zimbabwean players, based in South Africa, who were fingered in the Asiagate Report.
The players have been taunted from all directions and Moyo piled on the pressure on Saturday by telling South African journalists that the Zimbabwean footballers faced possible arrest back home.
In his grandstanding address in Johannesburg, Moyo painted a picture of the Zimbabwean players as being corrupt, as if they were the only ones in the world being subjected to a match-fixing investigation.
The Zifa board member will today probably realise that his words of accusations could also have been pointed to his hosts, Safa, who are now the subject of a Fifa investigation into match-fixing.
While Safa yesterday tried to downplay the issue, saying the organisation was not being investigated, Fifa said it would be premature for any organisation in the world to claim that it wasn’t a subject of its global match-fixing probe.
Safa released a statement saying that while it welcomed Fifa’s investigation, centred on the possibility of match-fixing in those 2010 World Cup warm-up matches, the move did not translate to a probe into Safa.
“The association (Safa) welcomes the investigation and is working very closely with Fifa to ensure that the scourge of corruption is uprooted from the game,” Safa said in a statement.
“Fifa also briefed the association about the various risk factors that all associations need to be on the lookout for and to mitigate.
“These include, but are not limited to, illegal online betting, match fixing, irregular player registrations and age cheating.”
Safa added that Fifa was “pleased” it had discontinued the practice of engaging agents to source referees for matches played by the South Africa national teams.
“The Association took a decision to revert to appointing referees itself through Caf, or in the case of friendly matches, through our sister football associations, as this will ensure full control and integrity of outcomes of all matches.”
Fifa confirmed, according to Safa, that it was not investigating the association or any of its members but was interested in getting information about the referees linked to the investigation.
However, Fifa responded to the Safa statement and said, contrary to the claims by the South Africans, no football organisation in the world today could claim that it was not
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being investigated as part of the global match-fixing probe.
“The South African Football Association (Safa), in today’s media release, has attributed particular positions to Fifa Security,” Fifa said in a statement.
“To be clear, Fifa Security is engaged in a global investigation that includes a number of jurisdictions in Africa and across the globe.
“These investigations are extensive and are continuing. It is premature to publicly suggest that any jurisdiction is not subject to the current investigation.
“The Head of Fifa Security, Chris Eaton, did meet with his Safa counterparts in November 2011, prior to travelling to Zimbabwe, and information was exchanged and cooperation commenced.
“Fifa is gratified by the commitment of Safa in welcoming the investigation and in initiating new procedures in the appointment of referees.
“Fifa Security looks forward to further cooperation and support from their counterparts in Safa as the global investigation proceeds.”
Bafana Bafana played a number of 2010 World Cup warm-up matches and beat Colombia 2-1 at Soccer City on May 27, 2010, with both their goals coming from penalties in a tense encounter.
The South Africans also thumped Thailand 4-0, drew with Bulgaria, North Korea and Jamaica and beat Zimbabwe 3-0 in Durban.
Last June, The Sunday Sun of South Africa, ran the first reports claiming that Safa were being investigated by Fifa. – AP/Fifa.com/Sports Reporter.
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