Sports / Soccer
Zimbabwe match fixing players should not be allowed to play football: FIFA
25 Feb 2011 at 10:52hrs | Views
Fifa general secretary, Jerome Valcke says Zimbabwe players caught up in a match-fixing scam in the Far East should not be allowed to play football.
Several players confessed in sworn statements to an official investigation that they were paid to lose matches in 2008 and 2009.
All the players are, however, still playing for their respective clubs in South Africa and in Zimbabwe.
"If someone has confessed then this person should not be playing any more," Valcke told BBC Sport
The internationals had admitted that they were paid to lose matches against Thailand, Malaysia and Syria.
The only notable casualty of the scam thus far is former Zimbabwe Football Association chief executive Henriatta Rushwaya, who was sacked when the scandal came to light in December 2009.
Zimbabwe FA vice-president Ndumiso Gumede told BBC Sport that the players and officials involved will soon discover their fate.
He also said there is evidence that the scandal could go as far back as 2007.
Valcke said players who have admitted to match-fixing should not be allowed to continue with their careers.
"I will immediately ask our legal department to give me an update."
Fifa president Sepp Blatter also promised tough action on anyone implicated in the scandal.
"I'm not fully aware of what happened with Zimbabwe but I promise Fifa will act to prevent these things happening in our sport," Blatter told BBC Sport in Khartoum.
Blatter said Fifa is committed to weeding out corruption in the game, and will not hesitate to hand out tough sanctions.
Several players confessed in sworn statements to an official investigation that they were paid to lose matches in 2008 and 2009.
All the players are, however, still playing for their respective clubs in South Africa and in Zimbabwe.
"If someone has confessed then this person should not be playing any more," Valcke told BBC Sport
The internationals had admitted that they were paid to lose matches against Thailand, Malaysia and Syria.
The only notable casualty of the scam thus far is former Zimbabwe Football Association chief executive Henriatta Rushwaya, who was sacked when the scandal came to light in December 2009.
Zimbabwe FA vice-president Ndumiso Gumede told BBC Sport that the players and officials involved will soon discover their fate.
He also said there is evidence that the scandal could go as far back as 2007.
Valcke said players who have admitted to match-fixing should not be allowed to continue with their careers.
"I will immediately ask our legal department to give me an update."
Fifa president Sepp Blatter also promised tough action on anyone implicated in the scandal.
"I'm not fully aware of what happened with Zimbabwe but I promise Fifa will act to prevent these things happening in our sport," Blatter told BBC Sport in Khartoum.
Blatter said Fifa is committed to weeding out corruption in the game, and will not hesitate to hand out tough sanctions.
Source - Byo24News
