Zifa to maintain Asiagate bans

THE Zimbabwe Football Association is adamant that the recent letter from Fifa declining to extend the bans imposed on players and officials for their part in the Asiagate scandal to take worldwide effect does not exonerate the offenders. Zifa maintained that the bans will remain in effect despite having their efforts to have them extended internationally rebuffed by Fifa. In the Fifa communiqué dated January 30, 2014 and addressed to Zifa chief executive officer, Jonathan Mashingaidze, the Deputy Secretary to the Fifa Disciplinary Committee, Octavian Bivolaru, advised the Zifa board that it would not be taking further action on the matter. "In this regard, we would like to refer you to our previous letter of November 25, 2013 and to confirm that, based on the documents currently in our possession and for reasons explained in the aforementioned letter, the chairman of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee is not in a position to extend the sanctions imposed by your association on various players and officials in the scope of the investigations and proceedings conducted into the ‘Asiagate' scandal so as to have worldwide extent in accordance with act. 136 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC)," Bivolaru wrote in the letter. Zifa's legal hawk, Ralph Maganga, maintained that the letter does not discharge the bans imposed by the association. "If you look at the letter closely, you will see that Fifa only talks of the extension of the sanctions worldwide and does not suggest that the local bans should be scrapped. "We had previously written to Fifa requesting a meeting with regards the extension of the bans, but they advised us that they would not entertain us unless we produced fresh documents supporting our call for international bans," Maganga told The Sunday Mail Sport. However, Maganga admitted the national association does not have sufficient evidence to pressure Fifa to endorse the worldwide bans. "Fifa indicated to us that they need fresh documents if they are to meet with us, but admittedly we do not have any new evidence," said Maganga.