The fate of players accused of taking part in Zimbabwe football’s match-fixing games in Asia lies in the hands of Fifa, Zifa president Cuthbert Dube said on Thursday.
Dube was responding for the first time to reports that Fifa head of security Chris Eaton will head to Malaysia next week to investigate two games played by Monomotapa in July2009 on the pretext that they were the Zimbabwe national team.
Zifa had stated that it would seek immunity from Fifa for the players that took part in the games if found guilty, in the belief that they were manipulated by a match-fixing ring led by Singaporean “kelong king” Wilson Raj Perumal, who is in prison in Finland.
Dube said while the issue of immunity was in their plans, the Fifa Code of Conduct dictated otherwise for those found guilty of match-fixing.
“It is of paramount importance for the nation to realise and understand that match-fixing and betting are treasonous offences which deserve the severest of sanctions from the family of football.
“We sympathise with our players who co-operated with the Investigating Committee and we realise they were used as pawns by greedy and unpatriotic officials who were part of a larger syndicate now being investigated by Fifa.
“However, Fifa are the ultimate custodians of football and they will guide us using the Fifa Disciplinary Code on the appropriate actions to be taken on players found guilty.”
He added: “As a nation we want to cleanse our game of the cancer of match-fixing and betting. We could not talk of a senior national team from 2007 to 2010. We had a horde of players and officials who were made to sell the soul and spirit of the game of football for the proverbial ‘thirty pieces of silver’.
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“How could you expect a nation whose national team could play to lose games for money to qualify for Caf and Fifa competitions? It is sad though to note that our predecessors saw, spoke and heard no evil when our senior national team was auctioning games through senior officials within the association.”
The association through the Investigating Committee, led by Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede, has completed phase one of the inquiry and a report has since been produced and sent to the Sports and Recreation Commission, Cosafa, Caf, and Fifa.
The other three members of the committee are Zifa board member (finance) Elliot Kasu, board member (competitions) Benedict Moyo and Eastern Region chairman Fungai Chihuri.
“The second phase of the investigations was commissioned in October 2010 and the committee is finalising the report whose scope covers the following matches:
Monomotapa trip to Malaysia, Monomotapa‘s Caf Champions league sojourn, Merdeka Cup, Malaysia, Oman vs Zimbabwe, Bahran vs Zimbabwe, Yemen vs Zimbabwe, Bulgaria vs Zimbabwe, Yemen vs Zimbabwe, China vs Zimbabwe and the Cecafa tournament.
On Monday, three Dynamos players, Washington Arubi, David Kutyauripo and Guthrie Zhokinyi were picked up by investigators from the CID Serious Fraud Squad to give statements on what transpired on the Malaysia trips.
The corruption involving Asian betting syndicates blew up in July 2009 when a Monomotapa team went to Malaysia without Premier Soccer League approval and passed themselves off as the Zimbabwe national team.
Monomotapa, after clearance from Zifa then chaired by Wellington Nyatanga, played and lost two matches 4-0 and 1-0.
The two friendlies were later stripped of their “A” international status, meaning the defeats did not affect Zimbabwe’s Fifa ranking.
The Zifa probe team looked at the Thailand and Malaysia trips in December 2009. On the trip, a second-string Zimbabwe team lost 3-0 to Thailand; beat the Malaysian champions Selangor 3-0 before suffering a 6-0 drubbing by Syria.
Some of the stars set to face questions over the Asian trips include Nyasha Mushekwi, Daniel Veremu, Cuthbert Malajila, Benjamin Marere, Mthulisi Maphosa, Phillip Marufu, Willard Manyatera and Zephaniah Ngodzo. Coaches facing investigation include Sunday Chidzambwa, Joey Antipas, Emmanuel Nyahuma, Luke Masomere and Methembe Ndlovu.
Ndlovu is now a Zifa board member (development) while Chidzambwa coaches Black Leopards in the South African First National Division.
Ahead of Eaton’s visit, the Malaysians have been insisting their hands are clean.
“As far as the games against Zimbabwe, we are very clear in our minds. We got a notification from the Zimbabwean FA itself,” said Azzudin Ahmad, Football Association of Malaysia secretary-general.
“As you are aware when another national body sends a letter, it’s really unethical to question them. When they committed that they would be sending the international squad, we weren’t going to question them.”
