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The Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze wrote to Shabba notifying him about revoking his player agent’s licence in a letter dated 12 April 2012, which was copied to the Fifa Players Status Committee, Zifa president Cuthbert Dube, Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede, the Zifa board and the Zimbabwe Soccer Player Agents Union.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association would like to confirm your indefinite suspension as a licensed player agent following your being fingered in theMatch-fixing and Betting Scandal Report. During your suspension as a player agent, you are not expected to conduct any association football business.
“Please be advised that you shall be advised as to when and at what time you shall appear before the Zimbabwe Football Association Independent Disciplinary Committee to answer to charges levelled against your person and office,” reads the letter.
Omega Sibanda, the Soccer Player Agents Union chairman, confirmed receipt of Shabba’s suspension letter and warned his members that whoever had been involved in bringing the game of football into disrepute would face the wrath of the law.
Sibanda commended Zifa for taking a stand in curbing match-fixing and trying to make sure that those responsible are brought to book.
“I can confirm having received an e-mail from Zifa this morning (yesterday) notifying us about the suspension of our member Kudzi Shabba.
“While Shabba is facing allegations, we don’t support any of our members involved in match-fixing. The job of player agents is to make sure that we get players and coaches jobs. It is unfortunate that one of us has been said to have overstepped to national teams and now he has to exonerate himself before the Zifa Independent Disciplinary Committee.
“As a union that is an affiliate of Zifa and Fifa, we want to categorically state that we do not condone match-fixing and we are behind Cuthbert Dube and his board who are trying to bring this matter to finality,” Sibanda said.
Shabba was last week seen at Parliament where the Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association members Eddie Nyatanga, Wellington Mupandare, Paddington Japajapa and Eddie Chivero made stunning revelations alleging that Zifa president Cuthbert Dube had bought his way into the association.
Sibanda distanced his association from Shabba’s presence in Parliament and said the latter had gone there on his own.
“We do not have skeletons to hide in our closet and what we are saying is that we do not have any members involved in Zifa elections. I would like to believe that Shabba went to Parliament on his own, not representing us.
“Dube and his people are trying to clean up Zimbabwe’s football that was brought into mess by people who did not have the nation at heart.
“People must not divert focus from the real issue which is Asiagate and that cancer of match-fixing which is threatening Zimbabwe’s football. If people are clean in this Asiagate thing as they claim to be and don’t want investigations to continue, then what are they afraid of?” said Sibanda.
The player agents boss warned his members to desist from interfering with the national teams as it was an offence and those found to be doing so risked losing their licences.
Agents have been accused of managing coaches and national team players and interfering in the selection of players.
He also raised concern over the rise of people who masquerade as player agents and urged clubs to deal with licensed people only.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu