Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches’ Association chairman Bhekimpilo Nyoni was the head of delegation (HOD) for Zimbabwe in the Cecafa tournament in Kenya, one of the trips investigated under the Asiagate football match-fixing scam, but never appeared before the Zifa investigations committee, NewsDay Sport can reveal.
The committee was chaired by Ndumiso Gumede and had Elliot Kasu, Benedict Moyo and Fungai Chihuri as members.
While some other HODs, including those who supervised one match, were called to appear before the Gumede committee, Nyoni was never asked to do the same, something the secretary of the committee Moyo said was an “error”.
Among the HODs who testified in the Asiagate Two report are Godfrey Japajapa, who presided over the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia in 2007, and Zifa councillors only named as Makuvaro (China) and Mukweva (Bulgaria), but suspiciously Nyoni was left out.
Moyo on Wednesday said: “I agree with NewsDay that Nyoni was supposed to appear before us, but it was an error. It was not by design that he was left out. It was an oversight. In any report you miss one or two things, but I must say he should have been there.”
Asked if Moyo was returning favours after Nyoni allegedly masterminded Moyo’s ascendancy to Zifa board member for competitions, the former Mighty Warriors gaffer vehemently refuted that.
Sources, however, yesterday disclosed that Nyoni had seconded Moyo during Zifa elections last year.
“We came up with that report as a committee and there was no way I could influence on who should be interviewed. It was a collective effort of the committee. It was an error not to call Nyoni . . . it was not deliberate,” said Moyo.
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Among some key players who did not give evidence were Johannes Ngodzo the then captain of the Warriors team which travelled to Malaysia, although he is believed to have “became instantly very good friends” with one Raja, the chief suspect according to the committee.
The committee further stated that central defender Thomas Sweswe and goalkeeper Tsungi Mudzamiri also became very close to Raj.
Moyo said: “We called him (Ngodzo) and he refused to give evidence. We didn’t have the power to bring him. We had no jurisdiction to bring him to the committee but asked him.”
The developments come amid a flurry of denials of the contents of the report while in some instances some of the people mentioned never travelled with the team to Asia.
Harare businessman Steve Nyoka was said to have travelled with the Luke Masomere-coached team to Vietnam for the Agribank Cup, but it has since emerged that it was not true.
“I never went to Vietnam. The committee should have verified with me first before they wrote their report. They have dragged my name into the mud. I think I’m going to sue for defamation,” said Nyoka, who claims he has lost business as a result of the “exposé”.
