Opinion / Columnist
We will never trust the 'iron lady' with our balls again
06 Feb 2012 at 10:32hrs | Views
When Henrietta Rushwaya was appointed ZIFA CEO, Zimbabweans hoped a woman running the country's football-governing body would bring sanity, stability to the beautiful game as well as champion the cause of women empowerment in the nation.
What most of us failed to realise is that as human as she is, Rushwaya would fall into temptation and soon look for ways to fatten her pocket. After all, they say 'mbudzi inodyira payakasungirirwa', meaning a goat will graze wherever it has been confined to.
And so from 2007 (God knows what happened prior) until 2010 the 'iron lady' of Zimbabwean football was grazing to her pocket's content every time the Warriors were on an international assignment. Together with her lieutenants, she made sure the country's representatives had as many international assignments as possible, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, where she would engineer, directly and indirectly, the Warriors' defeat in matches that have now become known as 'Asiagate'.
According to an impeccable source, the Asiagate Scandal only came to light when a beneficiary of Rushwaya's machinations had been dropped out of a team which was scheduled to travel to Asia for a 'match'.
The beneficiary, irked by his exclusion, spilled the beans and from that day until now, the can of worms is still being opened. I was glad when I heard the news that Henrietta Rushwaya had been arrested on bribery and match-fixing allegations. I was not happy because she was arrested; I rejoiced over the fact that after waiting for so long, the law had finally come to the rescue of millions of Warriors' fans who longed to see their favourite sport once more regain its glorious status.
Over 80 Warriors players have been fingered out in the scandal, the worst to hit Zimbabwean football in as many years, and current CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze says the number could rise as investigations are continuing.
As we speak, the more than 80 players have been suspended from national duty and if found guilty, they face punishment
What does this mean to millions of Warriors fans from Harare to Bulawayo, Mutare, Masvingo, Gweru, Victoria Falls, Chiendambuya, Chipinge, Chirundu, Hwange, Binga, â€" innocent people taken for a ride by a few individuals?
Why would Rushwaya sacrifice national pride to such a miserable extent? I remember there were times when the Warriors would almost miss some international assignments due to financial constraints and government would chip in with funds. Even after such sacrifices by government the players would be instructed to 'play to lose' and disappoint the whole nation.
So the greed for money had become such a corrosive cancer within the ZIFA leadership and players that all memory of the good old days of the real warriors, the 'Dream Team' of Reinhard Fabisch - Bruce Grobbelaar, Francis Shonhayi, Memory Mucherahowa, Henry McKop, Peter Ndlovu, Paul Gundani, Mercedes 'Rambo' Sibanda, Benjamin Nkonjera, Wilfred Mugeyi, John Phiri, to name but a few, was erased in a flash.
All these football heroes played with such fervour and passion, laying a firm foundation for Zimbabwean future soccer glory. This is what Rushwaya failed to see. All she could set her eyes on was the money she could make for herself and her circle of friends. How did she feel then â€" sending the Warriors away on a failed mission and shed crocodile tears with the rest of the nation who mourned their favourite team's loss to small-timers in Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.
To think that Zimbabwe has continuously failed to qualify for the Afcons in 2008, 2010 and now in 2012 is a disgrace.
The Warriors could not qualify for the 2012 World Cup in neighbouring South Africa. Even the friendly against Japan days before the soccer fiesta began was already contaminated with Asian match-fixers mingling freely with Warriors' managers and players.
The current crop of Warriors players had become 'players' in the Asiagate Scandal to the extent that one prominent player asked, 'Ko nhasi chibag chiri sei? How fat is the bag today?' when he saw one of the match-fixers at a regional airport. Such disregard for national pride.
I applaud ZIFA for taking the bull by its horns in their quest to cleanse Livingstone House of the ghost of Asia. We may lose a few talented players here and there, but the move is welcome nonetheless.
We cannot build a new house on an old and failed foundation. We cannot pour new wine in old wineskins. We need a complete overhaul of the whole system â€" new coach, new players, new administrators, new managers...
Zimbabwe is a football powerhouse in the region and beyond. We should not be watching teams like Botswana play at the ongoing Afcons while our boys are at home. The Zimbabwe Warriors are fighters â€" they should be at the Afcons and can pitch at any World Cup tournament.
We have troubled South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria, Zambia, Mali, Guinea, Brazil â€" bottom line is: we have all it takes to make headlines anywhere in the world. We cannot sit and watch while our beloved sport goes to the dogs.
All screws have to be tightened even as the country prepares to qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Zimbabwe's match against Burundi on 29 February in the first qualifier already stands affected, but it is better to fall genuinely than to be pushed.
Match-fixing is a vice that should never be allowed to see the light of day again in Zimbabwe. FIFA is against it. ZIFA is against it. Zimbabwe as a nation is against it. No one fingered in the Asiagate Scandal should go scot-free. The laws of the country should take their course and a new chapter will be opened.
I want to posit that Rushwaya and her team are sell-outs who should not be spared at all costs. If they managed to sell games to the Asians, who knows what else they discussed? What if they sold national security secrets to the master-minders of the betting syndicates? Surely there is no under-estimating what money can do? How safe are we?
Rushwaya needs to come out and publicly apologise to the millions of Warriors fans whose hopes she dashed and whose spirits she crushed. She should apologise to the President of Zimbabwe, Cde Robert Mugabe, the entire political leadership, government ministries and the man on the street.
And Rushwaya's comrades-in-arms should know that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them too. We want our game and we want it now! Rushwaya should never be allowed anywhere close to our balls. We will never trust her with our balls again!
What most of us failed to realise is that as human as she is, Rushwaya would fall into temptation and soon look for ways to fatten her pocket. After all, they say 'mbudzi inodyira payakasungirirwa', meaning a goat will graze wherever it has been confined to.
And so from 2007 (God knows what happened prior) until 2010 the 'iron lady' of Zimbabwean football was grazing to her pocket's content every time the Warriors were on an international assignment. Together with her lieutenants, she made sure the country's representatives had as many international assignments as possible, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, where she would engineer, directly and indirectly, the Warriors' defeat in matches that have now become known as 'Asiagate'.
According to an impeccable source, the Asiagate Scandal only came to light when a beneficiary of Rushwaya's machinations had been dropped out of a team which was scheduled to travel to Asia for a 'match'.
The beneficiary, irked by his exclusion, spilled the beans and from that day until now, the can of worms is still being opened. I was glad when I heard the news that Henrietta Rushwaya had been arrested on bribery and match-fixing allegations. I was not happy because she was arrested; I rejoiced over the fact that after waiting for so long, the law had finally come to the rescue of millions of Warriors' fans who longed to see their favourite sport once more regain its glorious status.
Over 80 Warriors players have been fingered out in the scandal, the worst to hit Zimbabwean football in as many years, and current CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze says the number could rise as investigations are continuing.
As we speak, the more than 80 players have been suspended from national duty and if found guilty, they face punishment
What does this mean to millions of Warriors fans from Harare to Bulawayo, Mutare, Masvingo, Gweru, Victoria Falls, Chiendambuya, Chipinge, Chirundu, Hwange, Binga, â€" innocent people taken for a ride by a few individuals?
Why would Rushwaya sacrifice national pride to such a miserable extent? I remember there were times when the Warriors would almost miss some international assignments due to financial constraints and government would chip in with funds. Even after such sacrifices by government the players would be instructed to 'play to lose' and disappoint the whole nation.
So the greed for money had become such a corrosive cancer within the ZIFA leadership and players that all memory of the good old days of the real warriors, the 'Dream Team' of Reinhard Fabisch - Bruce Grobbelaar, Francis Shonhayi, Memory Mucherahowa, Henry McKop, Peter Ndlovu, Paul Gundani, Mercedes 'Rambo' Sibanda, Benjamin Nkonjera, Wilfred Mugeyi, John Phiri, to name but a few, was erased in a flash.
All these football heroes played with such fervour and passion, laying a firm foundation for Zimbabwean future soccer glory. This is what Rushwaya failed to see. All she could set her eyes on was the money she could make for herself and her circle of friends. How did she feel then â€" sending the Warriors away on a failed mission and shed crocodile tears with the rest of the nation who mourned their favourite team's loss to small-timers in Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The Warriors could not qualify for the 2012 World Cup in neighbouring South Africa. Even the friendly against Japan days before the soccer fiesta began was already contaminated with Asian match-fixers mingling freely with Warriors' managers and players.
The current crop of Warriors players had become 'players' in the Asiagate Scandal to the extent that one prominent player asked, 'Ko nhasi chibag chiri sei? How fat is the bag today?' when he saw one of the match-fixers at a regional airport. Such disregard for national pride.
I applaud ZIFA for taking the bull by its horns in their quest to cleanse Livingstone House of the ghost of Asia. We may lose a few talented players here and there, but the move is welcome nonetheless.
We cannot build a new house on an old and failed foundation. We cannot pour new wine in old wineskins. We need a complete overhaul of the whole system â€" new coach, new players, new administrators, new managers...
Zimbabwe is a football powerhouse in the region and beyond. We should not be watching teams like Botswana play at the ongoing Afcons while our boys are at home. The Zimbabwe Warriors are fighters â€" they should be at the Afcons and can pitch at any World Cup tournament.
We have troubled South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria, Zambia, Mali, Guinea, Brazil â€" bottom line is: we have all it takes to make headlines anywhere in the world. We cannot sit and watch while our beloved sport goes to the dogs.
All screws have to be tightened even as the country prepares to qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Zimbabwe's match against Burundi on 29 February in the first qualifier already stands affected, but it is better to fall genuinely than to be pushed.
Match-fixing is a vice that should never be allowed to see the light of day again in Zimbabwe. FIFA is against it. ZIFA is against it. Zimbabwe as a nation is against it. No one fingered in the Asiagate Scandal should go scot-free. The laws of the country should take their course and a new chapter will be opened.
I want to posit that Rushwaya and her team are sell-outs who should not be spared at all costs. If they managed to sell games to the Asians, who knows what else they discussed? What if they sold national security secrets to the master-minders of the betting syndicates? Surely there is no under-estimating what money can do? How safe are we?
Rushwaya needs to come out and publicly apologise to the millions of Warriors fans whose hopes she dashed and whose spirits she crushed. She should apologise to the President of Zimbabwe, Cde Robert Mugabe, the entire political leadership, government ministries and the man on the street.
And Rushwaya's comrades-in-arms should know that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them too. We want our game and we want it now! Rushwaya should never be allowed anywhere close to our balls. We will never trust her with our balls again!
Source - zbc
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