CAPS United are happy to have their coach Taurai Mangwiro back after his 10-year sentence was reduced to one year wholly suspended for five years by the Zifa special Appeals Committee on Tuesday.
Report by Tawanda Tafirenyika
The Caps United coach is one of the officials who had been banned by Zifa for their alleged involvement in the Asiagate match–fixing scandal between 2007 and 2009.
Mangwiro had been slapped with a 10-year ban from all football activities.
Former Shabanie Mine coach Luke Masomere also bounced back into the game after his two-year sanction was reduced to a lighter sentence of a $1 500 fine.
The duo, however, became the first appellants against both the Asiagate conviction and sentence when they appeared before a committee chaired by Harare lawyer Silas Chekera and which includes another legal practitioner Thabani Mpofu and veteran football administrator Chris Mbanga last Thursday.
In its ruling the Appeals Committee chaired by Chekera, reduced Mangwiro’s 10-year ban to a one-year sentence suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of a similar offence during that period.
Caps United chief executive Joe Makuvire said they welcomed the judgment by the Zifa specials appeals committee.
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“He (Mangwiro) has been patient enough. We encouraged him as a club to follow all the procedures required by Zifa in his battle to be cleared and as a club, we are happy he is back into the game. We have always had faith in Tau.
“We believe he is one of the best coaches in the coaching fraternity and he should be resuming his duties as head coach of the team once we finish contract issues. Of course, he had a running contract with the team, but those sanctions meant his contract was put on hold so we are working on it with a view to offering him a substantive position as head coach of the team,” said Makuvire.
Mangwiro said it felt good to bounce back into the game.
“It feels good,” that’s all he could say. He said he would speak after getting permission from his employers.
Caps United have been under the guidance of caretaker coach Brenna Msiska who has managed two wins and two defeats in the four league matches of the campaign.
