Zimbabwe netball official vanishes in Liverpool

A MEMBER of the official Zimbabwe Gems' delegation that travelled to the Netball World Cup vanished yesterday hours before the group was due to board its flight back home from its Liverpool, United Kingdom base.

Phillip Masimba, the younger brother of Zimbabwe Netball Association (Zina) organising secretary Alex, reportedly disappeared under unclear circumstances, igniting panic within the Zimbabwe camp.

"The guy has disappeared from our base and is nowhere to be found. He was actually a surprise delegate here as he is not even an executive member of the Zimbabwe Netball Association.

"He only came to the tournament because he is the younger brother to one of the Zina officials. It turns out he just wanted to get a United Kingdom visa using netball and Zina officials knew that. A report has been made to the police," said a source from the UK, who preferred anonymity.

Liverpool's Merseyside Police could neither confirm nor deny that such a report had been made when contacted by Chronicle Sport last night.

"Unfortunately due to data protection we will not be able to either confirm or deny that a missing person report has been made by the Zimbabwe World Cup team," said a spokesperson for the Merseyside Police.

The Gems finished eighth in their maiden Netball World Cup appearance where their performance charmed the hearts of the game's fans around the globe.