Sports /
Zifa farce: Gumede, Moyo face arrest
13 Oct 2010 at 08:25hrs | Views
ZIMBABWE Football Association vice president Ndumiso Gumede and board member competitions Benedict Moyo are wanted by police for allowing Belgian soccer coach Tom Saintfiet to work with the national team without a work permit.
Moyo is in charge of national teams while Gumede is the first vice president of the association. Moyo revealed that he went to the Harare Central Police Station on Saturday and Monday where he was supposed to report to an Inspector Chikandiwa but did not find him.
Saintfiet conducted training for the Warriors without a work permit ahead of the Sunday match against Cape Verde before the Department of Immigration deported him last Tuesday. He is holed up in Francistown, Botswana awaiting his fate.
It also emerged that the complainant in the case is Zifa president Cuthbert Dube, a factor that exposed serious divisions within the association.
"How could the president (Dube) sink so low and try to get us arrested for the board decision to hire Tom Saintfiet. We are being said we brought him into the country illegally. This was not Ben Moyo's decision and neither Ndumiso Gumede's decision but one passed by a majority of the board members.
"It is a pity that the whole thing is being handled on regional grounds and it is bad for football. If that is what they want then time will come for us to expose them. Phone me tomorrow for more details," charged Moyo on Monday night.
Yesterday, Moyo said the police first invited him on Saturday at a time that coincided with an important Zifa board meeting, which was supposed to discuss the issue of the national team coach.
"I went to Harare Central Police Station and I was told Inspector Chikandiwa who had invited me and Gumede had travelled to Victoria Falls and would only return on Monday.
"On Monday I went back and he was still not in. Today he called with hidden number asking me to report to Harare Central again. I still do not understand why when he called today he did not identify himself and why each time he calls he hides his number. Secondly why would I be charged on behalf of Zifa when there is a president and chief executive officer of the association? It's Zifa who should be charged," said Moyo.
Gumede was said to be on his way from Harare to Bulawayo last night and it was not immediately clear if he had made contact with the police. It could also not be established why police were keen to interview him when he was not part of the technical committee that appointed the foreign coach.
Zifa second vice president Kenny Marange heads the technical committee. Its members include Moyo, Solomon Mugavazi (Northern Region chairman), Twine Phiri (Premier Soccer League), Methembe Ndlovu (board member development), Gift Banda (Southern Region) and Patrick Hokonya (Central Region).
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena could not be reached for comment but a police officer who could not disclose his identity confirmed that they were handling the case in which a 'C Dube' is a complainant. "The chief inspector handling the case is not in but there is such a case," said the officer.
Efforts to talk to Dube were futile.
"I am in a board meeting can you call after 2pm," said Dube before ignoring four further attempts to talk to him after 2pm.
Meanwhile, Supersport.com reports that Moyo and Dube have been at loggerheads since the Zifa technical committee recommended the appointment of Saintfiet last month.
SuperSport.com understands that after the deportation of Saintfiet, it was agreed at a meeting attended by Moyo, Zifa legal adviser Ralph Matanga, acting chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze and Dube that assistant coach Madinda Ndlovu would be temporarily in charge of the Cape Verde encounter.
The players were duly informed of the development on Wednesday morning, only to be told on Friday evening by Dube that both Ndlovu and Norman Mapeza would have equal powers for the Cape Verde match which ended in a goalless draw.
The Belgian coach was deported a day before his sidekick, goalkeepers trainer Lutz Pfannestiel, a German national who once saved jail time for match fixing in Singapore, was also asked to leave the country for working without a work permit
Saintfiet conducted training for the Warriors without a work permit ahead of the Sunday match against Cape Verde before the Department of Immigration deported him last Tuesday. He is holed up in Francistown, Botswana awaiting his fate.
It also emerged that the complainant in the case is Zifa president Cuthbert Dube, a factor that exposed serious divisions within the association.
"How could the president (Dube) sink so low and try to get us arrested for the board decision to hire Tom Saintfiet. We are being said we brought him into the country illegally. This was not Ben Moyo's decision and neither Ndumiso Gumede's decision but one passed by a majority of the board members.
"It is a pity that the whole thing is being handled on regional grounds and it is bad for football. If that is what they want then time will come for us to expose them. Phone me tomorrow for more details," charged Moyo on Monday night.
Yesterday, Moyo said the police first invited him on Saturday at a time that coincided with an important Zifa board meeting, which was supposed to discuss the issue of the national team coach.
"I went to Harare Central Police Station and I was told Inspector Chikandiwa who had invited me and Gumede had travelled to Victoria Falls and would only return on Monday.
"On Monday I went back and he was still not in. Today he called with hidden number asking me to report to Harare Central again. I still do not understand why when he called today he did not identify himself and why each time he calls he hides his number. Secondly why would I be charged on behalf of Zifa when there is a president and chief executive officer of the association? It's Zifa who should be charged," said Moyo.
Gumede was said to be on his way from Harare to Bulawayo last night and it was not immediately clear if he had made contact with the police. It could also not be established why police were keen to interview him when he was not part of the technical committee that appointed the foreign coach.
Zifa second vice president Kenny Marange heads the technical committee. Its members include Moyo, Solomon Mugavazi (Northern Region chairman), Twine Phiri (Premier Soccer League), Methembe Ndlovu (board member development), Gift Banda (Southern Region) and Patrick Hokonya (Central Region).
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena could not be reached for comment but a police officer who could not disclose his identity confirmed that they were handling the case in which a 'C Dube' is a complainant. "The chief inspector handling the case is not in but there is such a case," said the officer.
Efforts to talk to Dube were futile.
"I am in a board meeting can you call after 2pm," said Dube before ignoring four further attempts to talk to him after 2pm.
Meanwhile, Supersport.com reports that Moyo and Dube have been at loggerheads since the Zifa technical committee recommended the appointment of Saintfiet last month.
SuperSport.com understands that after the deportation of Saintfiet, it was agreed at a meeting attended by Moyo, Zifa legal adviser Ralph Matanga, acting chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze and Dube that assistant coach Madinda Ndlovu would be temporarily in charge of the Cape Verde encounter.
The players were duly informed of the development on Wednesday morning, only to be told on Friday evening by Dube that both Ndlovu and Norman Mapeza would have equal powers for the Cape Verde match which ended in a goalless draw.
The Belgian coach was deported a day before his sidekick, goalkeepers trainer Lutz Pfannestiel, a German national who once saved jail time for match fixing in Singapore, was also asked to leave the country for working without a work permit
Source - Chronicle
