Even though the committee’s report did not mention names, it is highly likely that former coach, Norman Mapeza and members of the management team involved in match throwing could be slapped with life bans.
The Committee led by retired High Court Judge, Justice Ahmed Ibrahim announced at a press conference in the capital on Tuesday that it had completed gathering information relating to the allegations of match fixing and corruption involving the Zimbabwe senior national soccer team in Asia.
The match fixing scandals are alleged to have occurred between 2007 and 2009.
The committee has recommended that 13 of the players involved in the Asiagate scandal be slapped with a life ban from all football activities while seven others will be banned for 10 years.
Thirty-seven players face a five-year ban from all football activities while 25 will be barred for two years.
The committee has recommended the imposition of a two-year ban from all football activities with suspension on two players.
Six players face a one-year ban from all football activities while two others will be barred from all football activities with suspension for one year.
The committee has recommended the imposition of a six-month ban from all football activities on one player.
Of the players who were under investigation, only eight were exonerated.
Ibrahim, while presenting the report, said match-fixing was driven by greed and not poverty as it was also common in better-heeled countries.
“I don’t subscribe to the view that the root cause of (match-fixing) is…economic hardships. I believe the motivating factor is greed and the pursuit of…a quick buck,” said Ibrahim.
During the press briefing Ibrahim narrated how Wilson Raj Perfumal currently imprisoned in Hungary for match fixing would work in cahoots with some ZIFA officials during the Asiagate scandal.
“Once established, Raj would dispatch an email to senior members of the secretariat extending an invitation to ZIFA to send a national team, whether senior, Under 23 or Under 20, to a pre-selected country to play friendly games or in a tournament,” he said.
He added: “Invariably the Team Coach and the Team Manager were part of the inner circle and knew exactly what was taking place. The head of delegation would appear to have been carefully selected.”
He said Zimbabwean officials implicated in the match fixing scandals would clandestinely call up a team of inexperienced players without seeking clearance from the Sports and Recreation Commission.
Ibrahim, added that at times the players were called at a short notice, sometimes getting less than twelve hours’ notice.
“The short notice meant that there was no time for the team to go into camp, to train or to get to one another’s play as a team. Their resultant overall results collectively reduced their ranking with FIFA,” said Ibrahim.
He added: “It is estimated that the syndicate would bring in extremely large amounts of cash on their many and varied betting score lines, in excess of US$1 000 000, 00 per game at times.”
Ibrahim said that countries in which Zimbabwe is alleged to have taken part in match fixing scandals “include Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Kenya, Finland and Bulgaria, amongst several others”
He said that his committee was running against time in its investigation which was frustrated by lack of cooperation from other quarters within ZIFA adding that they had not fully investigated and explored all avenues.
He said that “some of the players whose suspension was lifted may well find themselves being re-suspended in the future”.
Post published in: Football