No amnesty for Asiagate culprits

Sport
BY ALBERT MARUFUFIFA head of security Chris Eaton has ruled out amnesty for players and officials caught in the match-fixing scandal that has rocked the country. Eaton, who touched down at Harare International Airport yesterday afternoon, said Fifa is serious in combating match- fixing.

He is scheduled to meet the Zifa board, the investigating committee, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) and the Anti-Corruption Unit over the Asiagate report.

“There have been reports that there is going to be an amnesty for those who fixed matches. Not for now. Put that out of your mind. President (Sepp) Blatter made it clear that match-fixing should be stamped out. We did not bring gambling into football,” he said.

A probe team chaired by Zifa board member’s first vice-president Ndumiso Gumede compiled a 162-page report, which alleged the Zimbabwe Warriors were paid to throw away matches during their jaunts in Asia.

The report has resulted in the suspension of three board members — Solomon Mugavazi, the Northern Region chairman, Methembe Ndlovu, the board member (development) and second vice-president Kenny Marange from all football related activities until cleared by the proposed Ethics Committee.

The Asiagate report also listed the players, coaches and officials who were part of the trips and tabled the number of games they took part in during the Warriors and Young Warriors trips and as well as covering 2008 Premiership champions Monomotapa’s farcical tour of Malaysia in July 2009.

Among the high-profile players who were listed as hyperactive in match-fixing are Warriors captain Method Mwanjali, Thomas Sweswe and Energy Murambadoro while officials such as Sunday Chidzambwa, Ernest “Mapepa” Sibanda and Godfery Japajapa were also listed as hyperactive.

The scandal claimed the scalp of former Zifa chief executive officer Henrietta Rushwaya.

 

EATON COMMENDS ZIFA GOVERNOR

Eaton commended Zifa and the Zimbabwean government for their commitment in uprooting match-fixing in football. “Zimbabwe is the first country to show seriousness in tackling match-fixing.

“I am here to learn how they carried out the investigations and compare it to other countries. We want to see what we can learn from the Zimbabwean situation,” he said.