Rushwaya cuts football ties

Lovemore Dube, Sports Editor       
ACQUITTED former Zifa chief executive officer Henrietta Rushwaya, says she will not seek to regain her position in the national association.Accused of concealing information pertaining trips to the Middle East and South East Asia from principals, in tours that came to be known as Asiagate, Rushwaya walked out of the courts a free woman on Thursday last week.

She was found not guilty and one would expect her to want to return to her former job. But the woman once dubbed the Iron Lady of Zimbabwe football has no hard feelings and wants to focus her attention to her mining business.

She was fired from Zifa for her alleged part in Asiagate after being accused of being a key figure. In an interview yesterday morning from the capital, Rushwaya said she was happy that justice had been delivered.

“I am of course happy that I have been cleared by the courts. Like in the beginning I always said I was innocent and I am happy, I am a free woman now,” said Rushwaya.

Asked if she would be considering claiming back her job, Rushwaya said her time in football was over.
“Now football is way below what I could take or do. I am aiming higher and concentrating my energies on business. I ventured into mining and it requires all my attention.

“I have no hard feelings at all with all those who fought me. I do not want the Zifa job nor will I consider legal action for defamation, I just want to watch local soccer from a distance and wish well to those running it,” said the former chief executive officer.

Shrouded by the Asiagate scandal, Rushwaya’s term in office though, had some bright moments with Zimbabwe winning the Cosafa Senior Challenge in 2009 and several local players making the grade in South Africa and abroad.

She is also credited with improving the Zifa secretariat headquarters. Rushwaya was replaced by Jonathan Mashingaidze, who she had taken over from, when he was suspended on allegations of dealings with 2006 World Cup tickets.

Mashingaidze was later cleared of any wrong doing. Rushwaya awaits to hear from Fifa on another case pertaining to Asiagate where Zifa are accused of having failed to build a strong case with watertight evidence.

While she would not lose much by being suspended from football, Rushwaya is keen to be cleared to rest her conscience and that of almost over a 100 people mentioned in the scandal.

Fifa are expected to announce their position on the issue soon. Sources in international football last week said players and officials banned for life by a Zifa sub committee including those with lighter sentences would be pardoned. The sources said the problem lay in the whole process Zifa used to investigate, prosecute and sentence suspects.

There are fears of a big backlash to the local administration.
“I wish this could be time for people to let bygones be bygones and focus on the future,” said Rushwaya.
Zimbabwe soccer has been in turmoil from the time Rafik Khan took over from Vincent Pamire and Leo Mugabe with Mashingaidze in charge of the secretariat.