An unnamed Polish side is said to have refused to sign on the Dynamos goalkeeper before he was cleared by the Ethics Committee led by Ahmed Patel.
Arubi, who made his intentions of joining a foreign team soon after being crowned the king of Zimbabwean football, was fingered among a host of local players and coaches for allegedly accepting money to throw games between 2007 and 2009.Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) secretary general Paul Gundani confirmed Arubi’s predicament and urged Zifa to speed up the Asiagate process.
“Arubi was supposed to have joined a Polish side, but the club could not sign him because he should be cleared first by the ethics Committee. He was forced to extend his stay at Dynamos after the Polish team he intended to join demanded his clearance from the Ethics committee. When I went to get his clearance from Highfield United his intention was clear. He wanted to join a club in Poland but everything was in vain as the Asiagate ghost prevented his move,” said Gundani.
“We are now calling upon Zifa to speed up the investigation process so that they can clear those who are not guilty. At first they had said the probe would be over by mid-March but it seems as if they have failed to beat the deadline.”
Apart from Arubi, Austria-based midfielder, Justice Majabvi, is also facing the same predicament.“Majabvi is always complaining that his football career is in limbo as he also awaits for the completion of the Ethics Committee’s investigations. He intends to join other clubs but he can’t because the clubs are demanding a clearance letter first. The finalisation of the issue will also help the current Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo to cast his net wider if some of the players implicated are cleared,” Gundani added.
Arubi won a number of accolades last year including Player of the Tournament in the Mbada Diamonds Cup. During the off-season period, Arubi refused to open contractual talks with DeMbare as some clubs had dangled some carrots at him.
At one point he was at loggerheads with his former handlers Highfield United and had to buy himself out of his contract for US$5 000. Arubi did all this to enable his intended move to Poland.
About 99 players were suspended from taking part in national team assignments after they were fingered in the Asiagate scandal, leaving the new Warriors’ technical team with limited options in terms of player selection.
