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SOUTH African football chiefs’ decision to dismiss the case against the Bloemfontein Celtic duo of Patrick Tignyemb and Lantshene Phalane, accused of being part of a match-fixing ring, could have serious repercussions on a case built around the testimony provided by a ZIFA whistle-blower.
Goalkeeper Tignyemb and his teammate Phalane, who were sucked into the case by the ZIFA whistle-blower, were initially charged by the South African Premier Soccer League and were set to appear before the league’s Disciplinary Committee, to answer a number of charges related to match-fixing.
But, in a spectacular turn of events, Tignyemb and Phalane had their cases removed from the PSL Disciplinary roll in a development which their club celebrated as vindication that their players were never involved in the match-fixing saga dubbed Limpopogate.
The duo’s case was dismissed before they had given their defence after South African Premier Soccer League prosecutor, Naude Becker, ruled that there was insufficient evidence to charge Tignyemb and Phalane.
“The case against Bloemfontein Celtic players, Patrick Amour Tignyemb and Lantshene Phalane related to the allegations of match-fixing has been removed from the roll and postponed sine die by the Premier Soccer League Disciplinary Committee,” Bloemfontein Celtic announced on their official website this week. “This was confirmed through a memo sent to the club by PSL prosecutor Naude Becker.
“This will obviously came as great news to the club, supporters and, most significantly, the players who have been psychologically affected in the process.
“Hopefully, this will eradicate the negative perception created by those allegations and allow the players to focus on their game.” The case against the duo was centered on the testimony, provided by the ZIFA whistle-blower, who claimed that, on two occasions, he was sent by former ZIFA chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya to pay the duo as part of an underworld plot to manipulate matches for a syndicate led by an Asian mastermind known as the ‘Chief.’ “My next assignment was to approach Bloemfontein Celtic Football Club goalkeeper Patrick Tignyemb and defensive midfielder Lansthene Phalane,” the whistle-blower said in his testimony.
“I approached them with an offer of US$15 000 for the goalkeeper and US$10 000 for the defensive midfielder for them (to facilitate) the loss of Bloemfontein Celtic against Free State Stars by a margin of two goals to nil in a match played on the 23rd of January 2016.
“They accepted the offer and Bloemfontein lost with a margin of one goal to nil.
“The next assignment I was instructed by Rushwaya to approach Bloemfontein Celtic goalkeeper Patrick Tignyemb and defensive midfielder Lansthene Phalane yet again with a view to facilitate the loss of Celtic against Free State Stars in the upcoming fixture.
“I hereto attach a copy of the screenshot WhatsApp Messenger text message as Annexure ‘D1-D6’.”
Rushwaya claims she was running an undercover operation to nail the match-fixers after a pact she entered with a crack FIFA match-fixing busting team in Paris, France, a few years ago.
She doesn’t mention Tignyemb and Phalane as being part of the players who were approached, in that alleged sting operation, but reveals that goalkeeper Washington Arubi was, indeed, approached.
Arubi and the University of Pretoria goalkeepers’ coach, Tendai Tanyanyiwa, were part of the group charged by the South African PSL Disciplinary Committee over the issue with Tanyanyiwa bragging last week, after attending a preliminary session, that he had nothing to fear because he was never involved in any match-fixing scandal. Tanyanyiwa and Arubi, interestingly, were cleared of any wrong-doing by the ZIFA whistle-blower in his report to the Association. “The first footballer we approached on the 2nd of February 2016 was Washington Arubi who currently plays for University of Pretoria in South Africa with a view to persuade him to compromise his performance in the forthcoming match against Free State Stars,” he said in his report. “I was personally tasked to approach him with an offer of money on a date which I cannot recall but, sometime in January 2016, at Pretoria University.neluv proposal yangu
“Upon broaching the subject with him, he (Arubi) vehemently refused and even threatened to assault me. He then immediately reported me to Tendai Tanyanyiwa who is the University of Pretoria Football Club’s goalkeeper coach who, in turn, threatened to call the police.
“I only escaped by fleeing from the scene. I am in possession of WhatsApp Messenger text messages which I exchanged with Rushwaya following the rejection of our offer by Arubi.”
Sources said Arubi and Tanyanyiwa were now facing charges of failing to report the approach, to fix a football game, to their club’s officials as demanded by the FIFA statutes, rather than having been part of a match-fixing cartel that tried to manipulate games in Super Diski.
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