Warriors match-fixer tells all

. Raymond Jaravaza
THE man behind Asiagate aï¿½ï¿½ a match fixing scandal that rocked the Zimbabwean football fraternity involving dubious Warriors matches in Asia aï¿½ï¿½ Wilson Perumal has revealed how he manipulated the countryaï¿½ï¿½s football officials and players into taking part in his match fixing scheme.Aï¿½ Aï¿½

In an extraordinary self published autobiography titled Kelong Kings: Confessions of the Worldaï¿½ï¿½s Most Porfilic Match-Fixer Perumal, a convicted international match fixer, chronicles in great detail how he lured Zimbabwean officials into his illicit match fixing ring.

For Perumal (ABOVE) the economic situation in the country played to his advantage.

All it took was a single meeting at Zifa House with an official named Jumbo Jumbo. (Itaï¿½ï¿½s anyoneaï¿½ï¿½s guess who Jumbo Jumbo is but it rhymes with Godfrey Japa Japa.)

aï¿½?Deep down I knew that the Zimbabweans needed money; US$100 in Zimbabwe was a lot of money and here we are talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to my calculation, I had an 80% success rate; I had already fixed with Zimbabwe in 1997 (and) knew how vulnerable they were; I could almost read their mindsaï¿½?.

To sell his idea to Jumbo Jumbo, all Perumal needed was to make an offer of an all expenses paid trip to Malaysia for the Warriors to participate in an eight-team tournament with a group stage, quarter finals, semis and a final.

aï¿½?Thereaï¿½ï¿½s no prize money up for grabs and we will not pay you an appearance fee but we will give you 30 tickets to fly to Malaysia and have a good time. But if you want to make extra money, I have another idea.Aï¿½ Malaysia will make it to the finals and so teams will have to make way for the Malaysian team and if you give me your co-operation, if the whole team co-operates, I will give you $50 000 per match. We will pay you cash on completion of each job, $50 000 after each matchaï¿½?.

The following day, Jumbo Jumbo who had been given $10 000, agreed to assemble a team.

Once in Malaysia, Perumalaï¿½ï¿½s helper Thana got to work.

Zimbabweans players were treated to an assortment of gifts with the only catch being that they should aï¿½?give the fixers the desired resultsaï¿½ï¿½.

In other words shop until you drop but play to the tune of the fixers. aï¿½?Thanaaï¿½ï¿½s guys were all over the players, buying them mobile phones, football boots, jerseys, shorts and other gifts. The players were like children walking into a candy store.aï¿½?

Contrary to denials by players at a Zifa enquiry on alleged match fixing that they knew nothing on the shenanigans in Asia, Perumal is adamant in his book that he expressly made it clear to the players they stood to gain financially if they played according to his instructions.

aï¿½?aï¿½?Listen,aï¿½ï¿½ I told the Zimbabwean players before their first match in the cup, aï¿½?this game has got no value: itaï¿½ï¿½s not a World Cup qualifier; itaï¿½ï¿½s not an Olympic qualifier; nobody will remember you for winning this match or this tournament. Win or lose, you are not going anywhere.

aï¿½?But if you do as I say there is $40 000 for you players to share.aï¿½?

Perumal in the book also alleges that he had been fixing games involving the Warriors since around 1997.

At that time the likes of Peter Ndlovu, Adam Ndlovu and other notable names such as Bruce Grobbelaar who was once implicated in match fixing while turning out for Liverpool in 1994 did duty for the national team.

Scores of players and officials were suspended for periods ranging from six months to lifetime bans in what became to be known as the Asiagate scandal.

The suspensions were, however, lifted by Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa when he took over the helm of the national football mother body.