News / National
Asiagate scandal saga lesson for Zifa
02 Aug 2013 at 07:46hrs | Views
ZIFA have drawn a number of lessons from the Asiagate scandal which they hope will help curb incidences of match-fixing.
This was said by Zifa president Cuthbert Dube on Wednesday in a telephone interview from his Harare base.
Dube said a lot of lessons had been drawn from the Asiagate scandal in which coaches and players admitted to being paid to lose matches. He said Zifa had come out of the ordeal better equipped and eager to do more to save the integrity of the association, game and Zimbabwe.
He alluded to the fact that greed played a big role in tempting gullible administrators, coaches and players. This, he said, was against a background of where remuneration for those on national duty was very low prompting waiting wolves to pounce on the unsuspecting but hungry souls.
Dube said there was need to pay players decent wages and allowances for their efforts. Failure to do so often left them vulnerable to match fixers.
When the Asiagate scandal stories started appearing in Chronicle at the end of August in 2007, the Zimbabwean economy was at its lowest. Every Zimbabwean was desperate for even the smallest of denominations of foreign currency to survive.
"We have to look at the financial aspect of how we reward players. If we pay them well, we will not leave players susceptible to such temptations as to play into the hands of match-fixing syndicates. It is simple, our coaches and players have to be paid well and they must be patriotic in turn and play for the pride of their country," said Dube.
The Zifa boss said even the secretariat staff have to be well taken care of so that they do not sell out.
"Among some of the lessons learnt from the Asiagate saga is that even our employees have to be paid well. We have to inculcate a spirit of belonging among our workers so that when they are approached they will not be tempted. So in a nutshell all our employees from players, coaches and secretariat have to put national pride first but they have to do so on full stomachs," said the Zifa president.
Dube said his association took exception to unlimited visits to the national team camp. To that end Zifa had come up with security guys to monitor movements of players as some of the match-fixers could have been part of visitors.
"We also realised that our players were easily accessible to strangers while in camp and on tours. That made them prime targets. We have since engaged people with a security background to accompany our teams and to stay in camp. We are not comfortable with people associating with the boys while in camp," said Dube.
He said Zifa were working hard to professionalise the national team set up.
They now have chefs travelling with the Warriors as well. Just last week Mkhuphali Masuku should have been in Botswana to take notes on the Zebras clash with Zambia in a Chan qualifier. But there was no money for him to travel.
Masuku has since been appointed Warriors assistant coach.
This was said by Zifa president Cuthbert Dube on Wednesday in a telephone interview from his Harare base.
Dube said a lot of lessons had been drawn from the Asiagate scandal in which coaches and players admitted to being paid to lose matches. He said Zifa had come out of the ordeal better equipped and eager to do more to save the integrity of the association, game and Zimbabwe.
He alluded to the fact that greed played a big role in tempting gullible administrators, coaches and players. This, he said, was against a background of where remuneration for those on national duty was very low prompting waiting wolves to pounce on the unsuspecting but hungry souls.
Dube said there was need to pay players decent wages and allowances for their efforts. Failure to do so often left them vulnerable to match fixers.
When the Asiagate scandal stories started appearing in Chronicle at the end of August in 2007, the Zimbabwean economy was at its lowest. Every Zimbabwean was desperate for even the smallest of denominations of foreign currency to survive.
"We have to look at the financial aspect of how we reward players. If we pay them well, we will not leave players susceptible to such temptations as to play into the hands of match-fixing syndicates. It is simple, our coaches and players have to be paid well and they must be patriotic in turn and play for the pride of their country," said Dube.
The Zifa boss said even the secretariat staff have to be well taken care of so that they do not sell out.
"Among some of the lessons learnt from the Asiagate saga is that even our employees have to be paid well. We have to inculcate a spirit of belonging among our workers so that when they are approached they will not be tempted. So in a nutshell all our employees from players, coaches and secretariat have to put national pride first but they have to do so on full stomachs," said the Zifa president.
Dube said his association took exception to unlimited visits to the national team camp. To that end Zifa had come up with security guys to monitor movements of players as some of the match-fixers could have been part of visitors.
"We also realised that our players were easily accessible to strangers while in camp and on tours. That made them prime targets. We have since engaged people with a security background to accompany our teams and to stay in camp. We are not comfortable with people associating with the boys while in camp," said Dube.
He said Zifa were working hard to professionalise the national team set up.
They now have chefs travelling with the Warriors as well. Just last week Mkhuphali Masuku should have been in Botswana to take notes on the Zebras clash with Zambia in a Chan qualifier. But there was no money for him to travel.
Masuku has since been appointed Warriors assistant coach.
Source - Chronicle
