Match-fixing has tarnished Zimbabwe soccer

THERE is no doubt that money makes the world go round.

It is difficult to live without it because in many cases, very few things go according to plan if one does not have money.  The need to have money has seen a number of people going out of their way to get it.


Most people are oblivious of the dangers of desperation, which forces some of them to be involved in uncouth business practices simply to get money.

Due to the economic meltdown that peaked in the last decade, most people continue to find it difficult to earn a decent living. The economic crunch affected every sector in the country and the sporting fraternity was not spared.

Many soccer players, like other sportspersons, have been finding it difficult to make ends meet, owing to their meagre salaries. This has seen some of them, their coaches and administrators doing the unthinkable â€" accepting money from Asian betting syndicates to fix matches.

Ms Precious Sibanda, an avid soccer fan in Bulawayo said:

"This has tarnished the sport and caused mayhem in clubs as other players might feel they will be betrayed by the players involved in the scam."

Asiagate as the scandal is now commonly known, saw groups of players, masquerading as national teams, flying to some Asian countries to play games. They received cash to then fix results of the matches by losing. Monomotapa Football Club also played matches there as the national team.

The scam has seen more than 80 players and officials being suspended from national team duty, among them Nyasha Mushekwi, Method Mwanjali, Kenny Marange and Joey  Antipas.

Zimbabwe lost predetermined matches in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia between 2007 and 2009. Eyebrows were raised when they lost 6-0 and 3-0 to Syria and Thailand respectively around that time.

As the country moves to clean up the Asiagate dirt, the Anti-Corruption Commission in Zimbabwe last month arrested former Zifa chief executive, Henrietta Rushwaya.  She is suspected to be the chief architect behind the match fixing scam.

Zimbabwe has many talented soccer players, some of whom have dominated foreign football leagues. Benjani Mwaruwari, Peter Ndlovu and Bruce Grobbelaar played for

Manchester City, Coventry City and Liverpool respectively in the English Premiership.

But Grobbelaar, arguably the most high-profile soccer player to emerge from Zimbabwe, was at some point accused of taking bribes during his time at Liverpool and Southampton.

On 10 November 1994, Grobbelaar was accused by the British tabloid, The Sun, of impropriety, after being caught on videotape discussing match-fixing.

He was charged with conspiracy to corrupt, along with Wimbledon goalkeeper Hans Segers and Aston Villa striker John Fashanu and a Malaysian businessman, Heng Suan Lim.

Grobbelaar pleaded not guilty, claiming he was only gathering evidence with the intent of taking it to the police. After two trials, in both of which the jury could not agree on a verdict, he and his co-defendants were cleared in November 1997.

Thereafter, he sued The Sun for libel and was awarded √É‚Äö√Ǭ£85 000. The Sun appealed, and the case was eventually taken to the House of Lords where it was found that though the specific allegations had not been proved, there was adequate evidence of dishonesty. The Lords slashed his award to √É‚Äö√Ǭ£1, the lowest libel damages possible under English law.  He was ordered to pay The Sun's legal costs, estimated at √É‚Äö√Ǭ£500 000.  He failed to pay and was declared bankrupt.

The Asiagate scandal saw players being offered substantial amounts of money to lose matches. The frequent losses to lowly-ranked national teams had wider implications, not only on the pride of the country, but also in its world rankings.

Zifa has commendably taken a big step in dealing with the scam by indefinitely suspending the players that were involved. About 98 players were recently given the red card from national duties.

The Asiagate committee formed to investigate and unravel the biggest scandal to mar local football, identified the players and officials who travelled most frequently.

Meanwhile, the suspension of some key and more mature players could have adverse effects on the performance of national teams, particularly the Warriors who last week launched their 2013 African Cup of Nations Campaign with a 1-2 loss to Burundi.

Some soccer fans say they no longer turn up for matches because of the unsatisfactory performances players display and the way referees, some of whom are known to accept bribes, handle matches.

Kupakwashe Maseko a female football supporter in Pumula East, Bulawayo, no longer trusts our players and now shuns watching matches.

"There is no need for us to go watch football because I feel that some of them will be sell-outs," she said.

In the local game, there have been accusations that some referees handling Division One matches countrywide accepted inducements to favour some teams. Even some premiership teams stand accused of offering bungs to referees to enable them to win some games.

It is partly because of these scandals that the game in general and many clubs continue to struggle to secure sufficient, long-term sponsorship as many sponsors do not want their brands to be associated with dishonesty.

"I still believe that the number of players mentioned in the scandal is rather too high because it seems as though almost every player who was called for national duty at that time is affected," said Heritani Masuku, a Highlanders player.

"If I am called to the national team and something like this happens, when in most cases the officials are the major contributors, then every player is affected as long he was on duty at that time."

"If these players are banned from playing soccer, it will affect the soccer fraternity because they will have to find inexperienced players to replace them."

Football agent and player manager, Omega Sibanda said the Asiagate scandal is affecting local football.

"This scam is affecting footballers and officials who were not involved.

"It is a great disappointment that this is happening as it has affected the football fraternity and it has affected the movement of players."

He however said Zifa must clean up this situation and should not have mercy.

"If it means the whole national team is suspended, it is fine and those found guilty should be banned from participation in football," he said.