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Augustine Hwata Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE international footballer Devon Chafa has become the first local player to be suspended by Fifa for a doping offence in a shattering blow to the promising career of one of the country’s rising football stars. The 22-year-old Dynamos midfielder was slapped with a provisional 30-day suspension by the world football governing body in the first move of a disciplinary hearing that could either see him on the sidelines for some time or back in the game at the end of the proceedings.
Chafa’s last game, at least for the next 30 days, was the BancABC Sup8r Cup semi-final tie against Shabanie at Barbourfields which the Glamour Boys lost in a penalty shootout.
Both Dynamos and Zifa yesterday said they would stand by the player as he tries to battle his way out of this storm.
Fifa revealed the suspension in a statement posted on their official website and distributed to all their accredited journalists.
“The chairman of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee has provisionally suspended a Zimbabwean international footballer for an initial period of 30 days and opened disciplinary proceedings following an adverse analytical finding in relation to a doping control conducted after the 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier between Zimbabwe and Egypt played in Harare, Zimbabwe on June 9, 2013,” read the statement.
“After receiving the ‘A’ sample result, which was positive for a prohibited substance included in WADA’s 2013 prohibited list, the player did not request the analysis of the ‘B’ sample within the deadline granted.
“The decision taken by the chairman of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee was duly notified to the Zimbabwe Football Association on 30 August.
“The player has until September 9, to inform Fifa whether he wishes to request a hearing. Irrespective of whether or not the player requests a hearing, the player and/or the Zimbabwean Football Association have until September 16, to submit a statement and all related and supporting documentary evidence.
“By testing positive for a prohibited substance, the player has contravened article 63 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code. The decision to provisionally suspend the player was taken in accordance with articles 38ff of the Fifa Anti-Doping Regulations and articles 129ff of the Fifa Disciplinary Code.
“In line with article 74 paragraph 2 of the Fifa Anti-Doping Regulations, only after it has been determined in a hearing that an anti-doping rule violation has occurred, or after such hearing has been waived, or the assertion of an anti-doping rule violation has not been timely challenged, may Fifa publicly report the anti-doping rule that has been violated, the name of the player who has committed the violation, the prohibited substance and the consequences imposed.”
However, Chafa’s identity was unmasked on social media last week and Zifa didn’t help the case either when their communications manager Xolisani Gwesela confirmed the player’s identity in the statement he released following leakages of the case.
Warriors’ team doctor Nicholas Munyonga, flanked by Chafa, Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa, acting team manager Patrick Mutesva and Gwesela yesterday faced the media for the first time since the story broke into the public domain.
Chafa was bravely taking the suspension in his stride and is hopeful that it will be a passing phase before he resumes his career.
“Frankly speaking, this (suspension) came to me as a surprise, but I just have to accept the fate because this is not a sentence but a suspension, according to the investigations they are taking,” said Chafa.
“So I will just embrace it as it is. I will have to meet with people who are helping me and map the way forward.”
Munyonga said Chafa’s case has exposed the glaringly shortcomings in that athletes should be educated to question their doctors, if they have been prescribed drugs that are not prohibited.
“One thing that a player can do is that when they go to their doctors and they are being prescribed medicine, they have to question if the prescription does not contain prohibited substances,” said Munyonga, who is accredited to the World Anti-Doping Agency.
“The doctors have to verify and check. When a sample has tested positive like in Devon’s case, there is no defence in not knowing because in the WADA code, the strict liability principle is clearly labelled, where athletes and players are told that you violate doping rules intentionally or unintentionally, knowingly or unknowingly.
“This suspension covers all types of matches, including domestic, international friendlies, and official. The provisional measure may not be valid for longer than 30 days, according to Article 132, [part 1] of the Fifa Disciplinary Code.
“And this period, in the event that the proceedings do not conclude in the 30 days, it can only be extended by another period not exceeding another 20 days as covered in Article 132 [part 2] of the Fifa Disciplinary Code.”
Pasuwa said Chafa’s suspension was a big blow to his club, in their quest to win a third straight league title, and the national team.
“Devon had been playing very well and has been stabilising our midfield, but we have to soldier on,” said Pasuwa.
“In his place we can try Sydney Linyama or Thomas Magorimbo who can play in that position and there is also Stephen Alimenda.”
Chafa has been the standout player in the domestic Premiership this season, even winning the man-of-the-match award despite playing for a team that was on the losing end in the final of the Cosafa Cup against Zambia in Ndola.
The Fifa suspension means that he automatically is ineligible for the running of the Soccer Star of the Year although that is a very small issue at a time when he should be more concerned at the bigger picture related to the threat to his career posed by these disciplinary procedures.
Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa last week came out in full support of Chafa and said his club would stand by their highly-rated midfielder.
He said he believes Chafa might have taken the medication after being injured in the line of duty for the Glamour Boys.
“When we played Highlanders, Devon got injured on the jaw and it was during that period that he received medication firstly from the team doctors before we got him treated with other doctors as well,” said Mubaiwa.
“But we have confidence in Devon and do not suspect that he might have used any funny banned substance.
“He is one player whose character is not dubious and maybe if it has been any other player of questionable character we would think otherwise.
“This issue has also come at a time when he is in form and is playing good football. We just hope that this ordeal will not affect him as he awaits Fifa to complete their investigations.
“As a club we are behind Chafa. We will stand by him through the whole process. Without official communication from Zifa or Fifa, we will continue to field and use him.
“Even on Sunday, he would be part of the team that will play in the BancABC semi final as long as he is fit.”
Chafa, as largely expected, was fielded in that game at Barbourfields and received warm support from the Glamour Boys fans before going on to display a performance that was virtually flawless as he showed considerable inner strength at a time when he was at the centre of the storm.
Although it was clear that his case was hanging over the big match like a dark cloud, with SuperSport commentator Steve Vickers making reference to it when the introduction of the players was being done just before kick-off, Chafa did not show any nerves with a solid performance.
He even had the courage to take the first penalty, in the shootout lottery, which was successfully converted although his side crumbled under the weight of expectations in the shootout with Thomas Magorimbo and Clive Kawinga the fall guys.
Recently, Fifa have also provisionally suspended a Morocco player for 30 days who tested positive for doping at a World Cup qualifying match as they beat Tanzania 2-1 in Marrakech in June.
In another case that Fifa are working on, a Tahiti player tested positive at the Confederations Cup in June, while a Jamaica player failed a test at a World Cup qualifier, also in June.
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