Sports / Local
Gift Banda files charges against Nyoni over match fixing scandal
05 Dec 2011 at 12:25hrs | Views
ZIFA board member, Gift Banda, yesterday filed criminal defamation charges against referee Cosmas Nyoni as the fallout from the Central Region corruption scandal continues to get ugly.
Banda, who is the Zifa Southern Region chairman, was dragged into the Central Region corruption scandal by Nyoni who accused him of allegedly having a hand in trying to determine the outcome of matches.
Central Region chairman Patrick Hokonya has also been sucked into the scandal described, last week by Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede, to be worse than Asiagate.
Gumede is leading the investigations into the Central Region match-fixing scandal.
Banda, who has fiercely denied any involvement in the scandal, yesterday filed criminal defamation charges, with the police in Bulawayo, against Nyoni.
Banda claims that Nyoni has changed his statements, related to the role that the Zifa board member played in the scandal, five times, which suggests that his evidence lacks credibility.
"I can confirm that I have filed a criminal defamation charge, against Cosmas Nyoni, with the police because I believe he should be held accountable for dragging my name into the mud without any substance to back his claims," said Banda.
"I'm not taking this whole issue lying down and I will fight to clear my name and for punishment for those who have been involved in this smear campaign against me. For the record, I had never met or talked to Cosmas Nyoni until after the investigations into what is alleged to have happened in Central Region started.
"But one needs to be credible, if you a witness, but it's hard to stick to one version of events if you are lying and, given that I now have five different files of his version of events, I feel he should answer why he is doing all this."
The Zifa board is scheduled to meet in Harare on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in Central Region and what can be done to those who have been fingered in the scandal. Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze sent a notice for Wednesday's board meeting, with only one item on the agenda - 'Corruption in the Zifa Central Region.' But some board members protested and said the agenda should be altered to say - 'Corruption in Zimbabwe football."
There is a possibility that Banda and Hokonya could be suspended at Wednesday's board meeting.
Banda, who is the Zifa Southern Region chairman, was dragged into the Central Region corruption scandal by Nyoni who accused him of allegedly having a hand in trying to determine the outcome of matches.
Central Region chairman Patrick Hokonya has also been sucked into the scandal described, last week by Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede, to be worse than Asiagate.
Gumede is leading the investigations into the Central Region match-fixing scandal.
Banda, who has fiercely denied any involvement in the scandal, yesterday filed criminal defamation charges, with the police in Bulawayo, against Nyoni.
Banda claims that Nyoni has changed his statements, related to the role that the Zifa board member played in the scandal, five times, which suggests that his evidence lacks credibility.
"I can confirm that I have filed a criminal defamation charge, against Cosmas Nyoni, with the police because I believe he should be held accountable for dragging my name into the mud without any substance to back his claims," said Banda.
"I'm not taking this whole issue lying down and I will fight to clear my name and for punishment for those who have been involved in this smear campaign against me. For the record, I had never met or talked to Cosmas Nyoni until after the investigations into what is alleged to have happened in Central Region started.
"But one needs to be credible, if you a witness, but it's hard to stick to one version of events if you are lying and, given that I now have five different files of his version of events, I feel he should answer why he is doing all this."
The Zifa board is scheduled to meet in Harare on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in Central Region and what can be done to those who have been fingered in the scandal. Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze sent a notice for Wednesday's board meeting, with only one item on the agenda - 'Corruption in the Zifa Central Region.' But some board members protested and said the agenda should be altered to say - 'Corruption in Zimbabwe football."
There is a possibility that Banda and Hokonya could be suspended at Wednesday's board meeting.
Source - TH
