Sports - Life Bans For 13 Zimbabwe Soccer Players
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2012/10/sports-life-bans-for-13-zimbabwe-soccer.html
The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) is set to ban 13 players for life for their part in the country's match-fixing scandal. The names of the players have not yet been revealed by the Zifa board.
An independent committee set up by Zifa to investigate allegations of match-fixing has recommended the action in an official report of its findings. It also recommends 10-year bans for seven other players, 37 five-year bans and 25 two-year bans.
Football's world governing body, Fifa, has indicated that it will uphold any bans issued by Zifa and turn them into global bans.
"Today will go down as a sad, depressing day in the annals of history of the game in Zimbabwe," said Justice Ahmed Ebrahim, a former Supreme Court judge who was chairman of the the independent committee.
Justice Ebrahim added that what the investigation has revealed "may well only be the proverbial tip of the iceberg".
Zifa president Cuthbert Dube also believes that there is more work to be done.
"We will not step down until we clean up football," he said.
"There is match-fixing in the premier league and in division one, and we are not pleased with the standard of our referees."
An initial Zifa investigation into national team tours of Asia between 2007 and 2009 found that players were paid to lose matches.
Football's world governing body, Fifa, has indicated that it will uphold any bans issued by Zifa and turn them into global bans.
"Today will go down as a sad, depressing day in the annals of history of the game in Zimbabwe," said Justice Ahmed Ebrahim, a former Supreme Court judge who was chairman of the the independent committee.
Justice Ebrahim added that what the investigation has revealed "may well only be the proverbial tip of the iceberg".
Zifa president Cuthbert Dube also believes that there is more work to be done.
"We will not step down until we clean up football," he said.
"There is match-fixing in the premier league and in division one, and we are not pleased with the standard of our referees."
An initial Zifa investigation into national team tours of Asia between 2007 and 2009 found that players were paid to lose matches.
