adminAfter Zifa announced a raft of punishments, which ranged from suspended sentences to life bans, the association wrote to Fifa last year seeking to have the soccer world body’s ratification for the penalties on a global scale.
The Asiagate chapter has seemingly been endless since Zifa instituted a probe into the national team’s trips to the Far East but there has been virtually no finality in sight to the saga that even overshadowed critical developmental issues over the last two years.
But a ray of hope filtered through that the saga could now be brought to an end when Fifa invited the Zifa leadership to Switzerland to appraise them on how the association had handled their probe and the subsequent punishments they issued.
Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede and the association’s chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze are in Switzerland where they will meet members of the Fifa legal department, at 11am today, which has been tasked with handling Zimbabwe’s match-fixing reports.
They are expected to provide reasons why each and every case, which they dealt with, should be covered by Fifa punishments, provide evidence that everything was done in terms of the Fifa Disciplinary Code with every individual given a chance to be heard before a properly constituted disciplinary hearing, and also furnish Fifa with evidence, which might not have been included in the packages they sent, to back their cases.
Gumede and Mashingaidze left the capital on Sunday for the mission where they hope to convince Fifa that the penalties they effected were in the best interests of the game and should not just be limited to the Zimbabwe borders. The Zifa vice-president said he was optimistic that during their two-day visit to Zurich, they would have managed to “enlighten Fifa on all the processes that we undertook in the Asiagate exercise’’.
“I have heard some suggestions that were summoned by Fifa to answer about Asiagate but there were no summons issued.
“In fact, we were asked to come and enlighten them on certain things which led us into making a decision to ask Fifa for global bans on the perpetrators of match-fixing.
“It (the mission) is just about justifying our wish to stop the perpetrators of match-fixing from going about this business and in our view it would be folly for Fifa not to endorse and support our efforts because as we speak one of the perpetrators has been bragging about continuing to work with the Asian betting syndicates and that shows the extent to which this scourge is a big problem,’’ Gumede said.
Mashingaidze also agreed with his vice-president and revealed that the Zifa bans would not be reversed in the event that the association failed to secure a global extension of the penalties.
Fifa, though, have the power to declare those bans null and void in the event they believe there were some procedural improprieties in the way a verdict was reached at.
The Zifa chief executive also said they would “make a lot of noise at Fifa’’ over the matter and explain all the steps they took in dealing with the Asiagate saga.
“An internal due process was done. Those who chose to appear before the ah-hoc committee did and gave their stories, those who didn’t it was their choice.
“The Justice Ebrahim committee was adopted and implemented by the Zifa board and of the 93 persons only six of those who didn’t have suspended sentences bothered to appeal.
“Others thought the whole exercise was a charade but we communicated our position to Caf, Cosafa and Fifa after which we then requested for global bans,’’ Mashingaidze said.
Mashingaidze also said they would appraise Fifa on the procedures that were used in coming up with the sentences.
“As practice, Fifa want to know if those individuals were accorded the opportunity to appear before a judicial body, if all the domestic remedies were exhausted and beyond that Fifa requested transcripts of the proceedings which we furnished them with.
“They also asked 16 of the individuals to make their submissions and we will request to be furnished with that and compare with what was presented to the Ebrahim committee and see how they vary with the earlier submissions.
“We are also aware that there has have been attempts by some of those convicted to confuse the players and even the public that the whole exercise was of no effect but Zifa are the custodians of the game in the country and those sanctions will remain in force as long as Zifa runs the game in this country.
“So this invitation to Zurich will afford us a chance to share with Fifa our position and our commitment to safeguarding football and defending the ethics of football,’’ Mashingaidze said.
Mashingaidze also said they would register Zifa’s displeasure with the long period that Fifa have taken to help them bring the Asiagate chapter to finality.
The Asiagate case has broken all records, in terms of an endorsement of the sanctions by Fifa in cases of such a nature, with the world football governing body taking its time on the issue.
“We are going to make a loud statement to Fifa that the process of extending the bans has taken too long and is now being taken advantage of.
“But by going to Fifa it does not mean that it is Zifa who are now being put to trial because those who should be tried are those who transgressed football.
“Obviously, there are some characters that are unrepentant and incorrigible who are trying misrepresent issues but we will present the facts on the ground and we will also update Fifa on the appeals that will be conducted on July 29-30 for those individuals who appealed,’’ Mashingaidze said. Such individuals like former Warriors coach Sunday Chidzambwa, Method Mwanjali and Thomas Sweswe, who ply their trade in South Africa and have largely been untouched by the Zifa sanctioned, will be eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Zifa duo’s trip to Zurich.
Online Reporter