HARARE — Zimbabwe's most successfull football team coach Sunday Chidzambwa and several top players are facing life bans after being named as suspects in a match-fixing scandal, state media said Tuesday.

Chidzambwa, a Zimbabwean football legend who captained the national side in its fist post-independence match, was one of several leading football figures named by state daily The Herald in a report on the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) probe on the alleged match-fixing scam.

"Zimbabwe's first captain and Warriors' history-making coach Sunday 'Mhofu' Chidzambwa faces a ban from the game that gave him fame following recommendations by the ZIFA probe to suspend the coaches who took part in all Asian tournaments," the newspaper said, citing ZIFA's report on the probe.

The scam, allegedly masterminded by former ZIFA chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya, involved a 2009 tour by the national team to play unsanctioned friendlies against Thailand, Syria and Malaysia linked to a betting syndicate.

Rushwaya, who was fired in October, is also accused of clearing former league champions Monomotapa to travel to Malaysia, where they masqueraded as the national team.

The Herald said several top officials and players had also been fingered in the investigation.

"The former programmes officer Jonathan Mashingaidze and the FIFA match agent Kudzi Shaba are implicated in the arranging of these games and benefitted financially, amounts that the committee could not establish," it said.

The newspaper said implicated players included Edward Sadomba, a striker at Sudanese top-flight side Al-Hilal, former national side captain Johannes Ngodzo and South African Premier League star Method Mwanjali.

Former national team coach Luke Masomere was also named alongside Chidzambwa, who is now coach of South African Premiership side Black Leopards.

Zimbabwe is currently under investigation by FIFA over the alleged match-fixing scam.

FIFA chief Sepp Blatter warned last week that players and officials found guilty in the ongoing probe would face life bans.

A FIFA anti-graft team was expected in Harare two weeks ago, but has delayed its arrival until later this month.

Meanwhile, the State newspaper The Herald said it is standing by its Sports Editor Robson Sharuko, at least for now, after he was named in a damning ZIFA report into match fixing by Zimbabwe’s national football team.

The report, prepared by a probe committee led by the association’s vice president, Ndumiso Gumede, said Sharuko pocketed thousands of United States dollars from Asian betting syndicates, along with EIGHTY ONE players, coaches and ZIFA officials between 2007 and 2010.

But The Herald, which published excerpts of the report on Tuesday with Sharuko’s name, insists that it will not act on the basis of the report alone.

The paper’s editor William Chikoto: “What we are doing is to publish everything and take it from there. But for now he is here, working. I’m sure he is going to be responding.”

Asked if Sharuko still enjoyed his full confidence, Chikoto replied: “Yes. Even if there were allegations that some unprofessional work was done, he cannot be tried by that committee.

“We have our own internal code of conduct, we will look at all the evidence when this is all over but as of now we are not talking about any disciplinary action. You don’t know what is coming next, you cannot conclude that he is guilty or not.”

Luke Masomere, who was invited to take charge of a makeshift national team on a trip to Vietnam in November 2007, said Sharuko “would show excitement” whenever in the presence of the betting syndicate honcho, Wilson Raj Perumal, who is now in jail in Finland.

Masomere added: “We used to do our discussions [team planning] in Robson's room. We discussed about these trips and how rich paying they were. They divulged to me that they had bought cars and built, to completion, their houses [from past payments].”

The Masvingo United coach said he had been told by the disgraced former ZIFA CEO Henrietta Rushwaya not to pick a team or assistants but just turn up at the airport. In his mind, he said, that meant all the players and officials in the travelling party “knew exactly what was happening”.

Once in Vietnam, he said, “Robson and [Godfrey] Japajapa (head of delegation), masqueraded as coaches. Therefore, they were my assistants.”

Zimbabwe lost 3-2 to Finland after having taken a 2-0 lead at the break; lost 2-0 to Vietnam and drew 1-1 with Uzbekistan. The results were pre-determined.

“From the onset, I was feeling out of place with Robson, Japajapa and the CEO [Henrietta Rushwaya]. I sensed I was being used ... I could not understand why Robson was writing glowing stories about me when I was losing.”

Team manager Ernest ‘Maphepha’ Sibanda also turned the knife on Sharuko and ZBC’s sports editor, Josh Munthali, revealing that on another trip to Malaysia for the Merdeka Cup in 2007, the two journalists had been accorded “delegate status”.

“We were all in it in all we did,” said Sibanda, who admitted being "shocked" at being paid US$7,000, while players pocketed about US$4,000 each despite losing. The ZIFA winning bonuses for the national team are usually US$100.

Added Sibanda: “On our way back to Singapore, Japajapa had a friend there and we went to his warehouse where I bought a Mercedes Benz for US$6,000, Japajapa and Sunday [Chidzambwa] also bought Mercedes Benz cars and Robson Sharuko bought household goods.”

Earlier on Tuesday, a defiant Sharuko posted a message on Facebook, telling friends: “My dear colleagues, this has to be the most difficult period of my life but l believe the test is necessary for me to find myself again. I will conquer, make no mistake about it.”

Added Kudakwashe Muguyava Nyamtowo: “Mukoma Rob, we trusted you. If it’s true, then shame on you, you are a disgrace to the whole nation. How could you?”

There were few posts in support, including one from Farai Tereraushe who told him: “This is the time you will know your real friends. This phase will pass before you know it. Find strength my man, you can overcome this challenge. God is with you.”

Chikoto insists they will not hesitate to act if concrete evidence of wrong-doing comes to light, while expressing his “disappointment” with the ZIFA probe which he said was “not thorough enough”. The report is full of inaccuracies, he said.

He added: “For instance, the report says Sharuko has been on 14 trips but our records show he made only six trips. There are a lot of things in the report that don’t tally, including certain countries where he is supposed to have gone when in fact he has never been there.

By AFP