Zimbabwe Football Association Match-Fixing Investigators Said Threatened
The Zimbabwe Parliament's committee on sports heard testimony this week on the so-called Asiagate match-fixing scandal
Parliamentary committee member Felix Mafa said the report names 80 players, administrators, coaches, referees, and technical staff alleged to have taken part in match-fixing from 2007 to 2010 The Zimbabwe Football Association said investigators of the match-fixing scandal which has tarnished the national soccer team's image have gone into hiding after receiving death threats over the Asiagate report delivered recently to authorities. A ZIFA official said the association has asked police to provide protection. Parliament's committee on sports heard testimony this week on the so-called Asiagate scandal. ZIFA Chief Executive Jonathan Mashingaidze and the association's board member for finance, retired Brigadier General Elliot Kasu, presented the report to Parliament. Parliamentary committee member Felix Mafa told VOA reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye that the report names 80 players, administrators, coaches, referees, and technical staff alleged to have taken part in match-fixing from 2007 to 2010. "We are going to study the report and next Thursday will come up with the way forward as we have been informed that some board members involved in Asiagate have gone into hiding alleging death threats following the publication of the report," Mafa said. "What is sad about Asiagate is that it has brought the game of football into disrepute and we hope that the poi ice will be involved in arresting those threatening administrators bent on bringing to light the corruption that existed during the scandal," he added. ZIFA Vice President Ndumiso Gumede, a member of the investigating committee, called last week for the establishment of an independent disciplinary committee to punish those found guilty of match-fixing. His panel was to meet soon to advance that proposal. Those found guilty of match-fixing could be banned from the sport for life.