Chronicle Editor
Harare Bureau
ZIFA have said they have no reason to believe their technical director, Wilson Mtekede, might have compromised his position by engaging in questionable deals with some Warriors.
The association say, as far as they are concerned, Mtekede appears to be a victim of the same people who have been on a campaign to smear Zifa officials.
A screenshot of a WhatsApp chat circulated on social media forums yesterday with Mtekede allegedly having a conversation with a Warriors player who wanted to be considered for national duty ahead of the Afcon qualifier against Algeria.
The WhatsApp chat appears to suggest the player wanted the Zifa technical director to use his influence for Warriors coach, Zdravko Logarusic, to draft him into the squad for the Algeria game.
In return, according to the chat, the player would reward Mtekede for the draft.
However, in the digital era, it’s also easy for such a chat to be created by those who have felt Mtekede has grown closer to Loga and now wields too power in the call-up of players.
Mtekede could not be reached yesterday but Zifa spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela, said their investigations, so far, have pointed to the possibility of a smear campaign against Mtekede.
“As Zifa we can confirm that we have seen the purported chat and we have spoken to Mtekede and we have also checked his text messages and, it appears, this is just another plot to try and smear his name,’’ said Gwesela.
“As you are aware, a number of Zifa officials have been targeted, in recent months, in such smear campaigns and there are some people out there whose mission is just to ensure that they denigrate the characters of the Zifa officials.
“It’s possible to create a false chat, in this digital age, and this appears to be one of them because it’s not the first time we have seen Mtekede, and other Zifa officials, being targeted.
“The other time, another chat was created to give an impression that Mtekede was trying to influence the national coach to ensure that Tafadzwa (Bhasera) comes in as team manager.
“It’s sad but a sign of the times we live in these days and what we can tell the nation is that we have no reason to believe that Mtekede is involved in such things and we have also not received any complaints from any player who could have said he was left out because Mtekede demanded something from him.’’
Online Reporter