Sports / Soccer
Adidas SA disowns Kasinauyo
13 Mar 2016 at 07:29hrs | Views
ADIDAS South Africa say they no longer have a relationship with suspended Zifa board member for development Edzai Kasinauyo. The former Warriors midfielder, who was suspended on Tuesday together with Warriors assistant coach Nation Dube for their alleged involvement in a plot to fix this month's 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group L qualifiers between Zimbabwe and Swaziland, is the Adidas point man in Zimbabwe.
Contacted for comment yesterday Adidas South Africa spokesperson Gugu Ntuli said they will wait to see how things churn out before coming with a position regarding the former Zimbabwe Warriors player.
Ntuli asked for this reporter's e-mail address promising to send a detailed response. She later sent a message via Whatsaap saying Adidas had a relationship with Kasinauyo's company E-Sport which was terminated in December last year without elaborating.
"Adidas had a relationship with his company which was terminated end of December 2015, and not him as a person. As a brand we are therefore no longer associated with his company. We therefore have no (further) comment on the current allegations," said Ntuli.
The 40-year-old Kasinauyo, previously played in South Africa for Moroka Swallows and Ajax Cape Town. However, Kasinauyo says he is not a match-fixer and is already demanding his immediate reinstatement.
Kasinauyo, through his lawyer Blessing Diza of Mhishi Legal Practice on Thursday gave Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa an ultimatum to provide all the evidence they had compiled or else he would sue the association.
Zifa has also reported to the police the alleged match-fixing issue. Media reports yesterday also indicated that the whistle blower in the case was armed with evidence in the form of e-mails and WhatsApp messages, circulating among the cartel that allegedly included former Zifa CEO Henrietta Rushwaya, former Warriors coach Ian Gorowa and an Asian match fixer. As much as $400 000 was allegedly wired at some point to a foreign bank for the deals.
Former Dynamos and Warriors goalkeeper George Chigova, who plays for Polokwane City in South Africa, has also been implicated in the alleged scam, while there were unsuccessful attempts to recruit Partson Jaure and Washington Arubi, also based in South Africa. Rushwaya on Friday allegedly sent an e-mail, seen by a number of Zifa officials in which she claimed she gave Zifa CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze money to clear her from the Asiagate scam before the current board came into office, but Mashingaidze did not meet his side of the bargain, leading to Rushwaya to demand her money back. According to The Herald, Rushwaya shot back after she was served with a new suspension letter from football activities by Zifa.
"Thank you Mr Mashingadze, are you suspending me simply because I demanded you pay me back the bribe money I had paid you to lift my ban since you could not do it before the new board. Kindly explain." Mashingaidze could not be reached to comment on the matter.
Contacted for comment yesterday Adidas South Africa spokesperson Gugu Ntuli said they will wait to see how things churn out before coming with a position regarding the former Zimbabwe Warriors player.
Ntuli asked for this reporter's e-mail address promising to send a detailed response. She later sent a message via Whatsaap saying Adidas had a relationship with Kasinauyo's company E-Sport which was terminated in December last year without elaborating.
"Adidas had a relationship with his company which was terminated end of December 2015, and not him as a person. As a brand we are therefore no longer associated with his company. We therefore have no (further) comment on the current allegations," said Ntuli.
The 40-year-old Kasinauyo, previously played in South Africa for Moroka Swallows and Ajax Cape Town. However, Kasinauyo says he is not a match-fixer and is already demanding his immediate reinstatement.
Kasinauyo, through his lawyer Blessing Diza of Mhishi Legal Practice on Thursday gave Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa an ultimatum to provide all the evidence they had compiled or else he would sue the association.
Zifa has also reported to the police the alleged match-fixing issue. Media reports yesterday also indicated that the whistle blower in the case was armed with evidence in the form of e-mails and WhatsApp messages, circulating among the cartel that allegedly included former Zifa CEO Henrietta Rushwaya, former Warriors coach Ian Gorowa and an Asian match fixer. As much as $400 000 was allegedly wired at some point to a foreign bank for the deals.
Former Dynamos and Warriors goalkeeper George Chigova, who plays for Polokwane City in South Africa, has also been implicated in the alleged scam, while there were unsuccessful attempts to recruit Partson Jaure and Washington Arubi, also based in South Africa. Rushwaya on Friday allegedly sent an e-mail, seen by a number of Zifa officials in which she claimed she gave Zifa CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze money to clear her from the Asiagate scam before the current board came into office, but Mashingaidze did not meet his side of the bargain, leading to Rushwaya to demand her money back. According to The Herald, Rushwaya shot back after she was served with a new suspension letter from football activities by Zifa.
"Thank you Mr Mashingadze, are you suspending me simply because I demanded you pay me back the bribe money I had paid you to lift my ban since you could not do it before the new board. Kindly explain." Mashingaidze could not be reached to comment on the matter.
Source - sundaynews
