BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
Details of how beleaguered Premier Soccer League (PSL) side Herentals attempted to manipulate their match against Bulawayo Chiefs on the final day of the top-flight season have emerged.
Standardsport managed to get a copy of a letter of complaint by Chiefs signed by the CEO Dumisani Sibanda on December 16, 2019, which was sent to the PSL.
Interestingly, the letter implicates Bulawayo City FC manager Eddie Chivero, as well as the club’s player Hughes Chikosa, in the match-fixing claim.
Herentals have already been found guilty of attempting to influence the outcome of their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match against Black Rhinos played in October last year.
The club was fined $300 000 and had three points from the match forfeited, which spells relegation for the side that was promoted to the top-fight league in 2018.
However, the club has since appealed against the punishment.
But they face a similar case against Bulawayo Chiefs, which they have to answer.
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Chiefs’ letter chronicled the suspicious events that transpired before and after the match, which Herentals won 1-0 to avoid relegation.
“We would like to express our displeasure at the actions of some Herentals FC officials before the match and after the match,” reads part of the letter obtained by this publication.
“On Friday December 13, 2019 at exactly 6:34pm, our head coach Thulani Sibanda received a call from Bulawayo City FC team manager Eddie Chivero stating that he wanted to see him over a South African deal for one of our players Hughes Chikosa, who interestingly is a former Herentals player.
“Fourteen minutes later, at 6:48pm, the coach received another call through Econet line number 0773 388 305. The end voice told him that he was Paul Benza, he was approaching Bulawayo and he wanted to see him. We are told that the coach refused to fulfil the appointment.
“At 7:57pm, Eddie Chivero arrived at the hotel in the company of two guys. He held a short meeting with the head coach at the left end bar of the hotel. It is to our understanding that the coach quickly left that meeting and returned to his room.
“It has come to light that our technical members convened a meeting to discuss about the happenings of that moment. While in the middle of discussion, two of our players, Arthur Musiyiwa and Sikhumbulani Dube, went to the coach’s room to inform the coach that someone was calling them from within the hotel inviting Musiyiwa to go to the reception.
“The technical team then went to the reception to inform the receptionist. While at the reception, another player, David Bizabani, also called from his room stating that someone was asking to meet him at the far left end bar of the hotel.
“The receptionist then made a report to the general manager who advised his staff to disconnect all extension lines to the players’ rooms. All extension lines were then disconnected until the time the team left for the match.
“The performance of the players in the match was the worst we have seen to date. During the match at around 75mins of play, Eddie Chivero, in full view of other players and members of the technical department, was seen calling Chikosa, the player at the centre of our suspicion [former Herentals player] and sending a gesture to the player. To our surprise, at the end of the match, the Herentals officials we facially know, ran to our bench and thanked our head coach for helping his team avoid relegation.”
Herentals are scheduled to appear before the PSL disciplinary committee on Thursday.
