adminGrace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO City have been summoned to appear before the Premier Soccer League Disciplinary Committee on September 6 to face charges of bribery and match-fixing.
The charges emanate from their game against Border Strikers.
The Premiership side’s assistant coaches Farai Mujokoro and team manager Gift Mvala have also been summoned to appear in their personal capacities for the hearing.
Mujokoro is alleged to have tried to bribe Border Strikers goalkeeper Talent Sande with $300 before the match between the two teams on August 3 at Dulivhadzimu.
But Sande informed a club official and set up a trap where the Bulawayo City manager handed over the money to a lady he presumed to be Sande’s wife before a complaint was made using the Whatsapp evidence which led to the arrest of Mvala.
Mujokoro disappeared from the border town before the match was finished.
The club has been summoned for breaching PSL Rules and Regulations in terms of order 31.1.3 which states that “its players, officials, servants or duly authorised (expressed or implied) representatives, for any corrupt, dishonesty, or lawful purpose in connection with a game played under auspices of the League, or in connection with the affairs of the League, give, offer or promise, whether directly or indirectly, any inducement, reward or bribe of whatsoever nature, to anybody whatsoever.”
Border Strikers claim the Bulawayo side were involved in the match-fixing plot despite their decision to suspend the technical bench.
“We are surprised that even before we have complained formally Bulawayo City is reported to have suspended its officials.
“We believe the entire Bulawayo City team should be punished for bringing disrepute into the game as this suggests it is their modus operandi as we also believe that their coaches were acting on behalf of the team and Bulawayo City Council as a whole.
“With the current economic situation in the country right now we don’t believe a coach can part ways with such a big amount of money for the benefit of an organisation as huge as Bulawayo City Council, but vice versa,” wrote Border Strikers to PSL.
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