HARARE - Fifa anti-corruption officials will travel to Zimbabwe next week to help wrap up another damaging match-fixing investigation
Zimbabwe Football Association vice-president Ndumiso Gumede told Associated Press that Fifa's head of security, Chris Eaton, will lead the anti-corruption unit.
The Fifa team will help conclude a drawn-out Zifa probe that will likely lead to strict sanctions - and possible lifetime bans - for a number of Zimbabwe national team players after they admitted last October to taking bribes to lose matches on tours to Asia.
"They are going to meet people in an effort to bring this issue to finality," said Gumede, who led the internal inquiry for Zifa.
"Appropriate action will be taken on completion of the probe."
Wilson Raj Perumal of Singapore, who is now on trial for match-fixing in Finland, is suspected of also manipulating the Zimbabwe matches.
The Zimbabwe internationals could be the highest-profile players so far to be punished in a new wave of crackdowns on match-fixing by football's world governing body.
Investigations are also under way in Finland, Italy, Greece and South Korea - and at a lower level in Malaysia and South Africa - while Fifa says it is looking at a recent friendly between Nigeria and Argentina as part of a wider probe into suspicious betting patterns and possible match-fixing. No players in the Nigeria-Argentina match are accused of wrongdoing.
Last year, Zimbabwe captain Method Mwanjali and international teammates Daniel Verehmu, Benjamin Marere, Thomas Svosve and coaching team member Joey Antipas all made sworn statements admitting taking money to lose matches by specific scorelines on a 2009 tour to Thailand and Malaysia.
Zimbabwe lost 3-0 to Thailand and 6-0 to Syria and the players said they were paid between $500 and $1500. Mwanjali also gave details of how a representative of betting syndicates came to the team's dressing room at half-time to dictate how a game should finish.
Zifa said last year that it was also investigating current Zimbabwe coach Norman Mapeza and about 20 other national and club players and football administrators.
However, because of the ongoing investigation, Zimbabwe authorities delayed taking action against the players who admitted wrongdoing.
The only casualty of the scandal so far is Henrietta Rushwaya, who was fired as Zifa's chief executive. Match-fixing charges against her were withdrawn pending further investigation. - Sapa-AP
Fifa probes Zim fixing scam
HARARE - Fifa anti-corruption officials will travel to Zimbabwe next week to help wrap up another damaging match-fixing investigation
Zimbabwe Football Association vice-president Ndumiso Gumede told Associated Press that Fifa's head of security, Chris Eaton, will lead the anti-corruption unit.
The Fifa team will help conclude a drawn-out Zifa probe that will likely lead to strict sanctions - and possible lifetime bans - for a number of Zimbabwe national team players after they admitted last October to taking bribes to lose matches on tours to Asia.
"They are going to meet people in an effort to bring this issue to finality," said Gumede, who led the internal inquiry for Zifa.
"Appropriate action will be taken on completion of the probe."
Wilson Raj Perumal of Singapore, who is now on trial for match-fixing in Finland, is suspected of also manipulating the Zimbabwe matches.
The Zimbabwe internationals could be the highest-profile players so far to be punished in a new wave of crackdowns on match-fixing by football's world governing body.
Investigations are also under way in Finland, Italy, Greece and South Korea - and at a lower level in Malaysia and South Africa - while Fifa says it is looking at a recent friendly between Nigeria and Argentina as part of a wider probe into suspicious betting patterns and possible match-fixing. No players in the Nigeria-Argentina match are accused of wrongdoing.
Last year, Zimbabwe captain Method Mwanjali and international teammates Daniel Verehmu, Benjamin Marere, Thomas Svosve and coaching team member Joey Antipas all made sworn statements admitting taking money to lose matches by specific scorelines on a 2009 tour to Thailand and Malaysia.
Zimbabwe lost 3-0 to Thailand and 6-0 to Syria and the players said they were paid between $500 and $1500. Mwanjali also gave details of how a representative of betting syndicates came to the team's dressing room at half-time to dictate how a game should finish.
Zifa said last year that it was also investigating current Zimbabwe coach Norman Mapeza and about 20 other national and club players and football administrators.
However, because of the ongoing investigation, Zimbabwe authorities delayed taking action against the players who admitted wrongdoing.
The only casualty of the scandal so far is Henrietta Rushwaya, who was fired as Zifa's chief executive. Match-fixing charges against her were withdrawn pending further investigation. - Sapa-AP
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