Warriors for 4-team tourney

The Warriors had been hoping to use the Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup to out together a strong side of locals would then be integrated with the foreign-based professionals when the final onslaught for a place a the Nations Cup in South Africa begins in September.
But as has been the case since Zimbabwe hosted and won the Cosafa tournament in 2009, the regional tournament has been off the radar largely because of lack of sponsorship.
This year’s Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup had been scheduled for Malawi next month but it was postponed indefinitely after the regional body under the leadership of Seychelles businessman Suketu Patel has struggled to find corporate backing to sustain the competition.
Despite the setback of the cancellation of the Cosafa tournament, Zifa this week got a reprieve when their counterparts at the Botswana Football Association invited them to a four-team tourney that also includes Lesotho and an yet to be confirmed fourth nation.
BFA chief executive Duncan Kgame said the hosts would take care of the teams’ expenses once they arrive in Gaborone for the tournament scheduled for July 16-17.
“Botswana Football Association is currently planning to host a 4-nations tournament in preparation for the 2013 AFCON qualifiers in September 2012. The tournament shall be staged in Gaborone and the tournament dates are 16th and 17th July 2012.
“By virtue of this correspondence, the BFA would like to invite your senior national team to this tournament and the following shall be provided to you on arrival — full board and transport on air conditioned bus for the team and air conditioned car for the head of delegation, accommodation and meals for your delegation of 30,’’ read art of Kgame’s letter.
Zifa Chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze said yesterday they had wasted no time in accepting the offer to feature in the tournament.
Mashingaidze said the four-nation event would give coach Rahman Gumbo with an opportunity to build on his side that will feature in the final Nations Cup qualifiers for which a draw will be staged by the Confederation of African Football in Johannesburg on July 5.
“It’s part of the 2013 preparations and this tournament will prepare us for the September and October fixtures as well as the 15 August Fifa date for international friendlies which we want to fully utilise.
“We cannot afford not to take part as this affords our technical department with a chance to assess the team especially in view of the fact that we have lost out on Cosafa which was cancelled,’’ Mashingaidze said.
Zifa also revealed yesterday that the probe team which they had tasked with probing local match-fixing allegations has completed its job and will next week officially hand over their report to the association’s board.
The probe team which includes former referees Brighton Mudzamiri and Wilfred Mukuna was tasked with investigating match-fixing and bribery allegations that led to the suspensions of two Zifa board members — Patrick Hokonya and Gift Banda — as well as Women’s Football secretary-general Samukeliso Silangeni.
Mudzamiri and his team yesterday handed over a copy of the report to Zifa president Cuthbert Dube but neither party was at liberty to discuss the contents of the report until it has been handed to the rest of the board early next week.
Mashingaidze said a disciplinary committee headed by Custom Kachambwa would then sanction or those found guilty and clear the names of those who are innocent.
“A formal presentation will be done next week to the full board and the media will be invited. The committee will also put its summary so it is after that handover that the fate of the likes of board members Gift Banda and Patrick Hokonya will be decided by the disciplinary committee of judges Custom Kachambwa and Sello Nare as well as Gladmore Muzambi.
“We are happy that the committee has completed its probe on local match fixing and any fresh issues that will arise will be dealt with as they arise.
“Initially it was the Southern Region but they later spread their investigations to all the regions so that we take a holistic approach to any match-fixing that is threatening to steak the glow of the game and drive away corporate parties.
“The disciplinary committee will act in terms of the Zifa and Fifa statutes and we have said the board will not handle any of the hearings as this is a prerogative of the association’s competent judicial bodies,’’ Mashingaidze said.
The Zifa chief executive also said the Asiagate Independent committee headed by Justice Ebrahim would resume its final phase of interviews on July 2.
“The Ebrahim committee will resume work on July 2 and they will be able to favour us with updates as they progress but we believe thee parallel process will goal long way in helping cleanse our game,’’ Mashingaidze said.