Zifa blacklist 80 Ovidy Karuru

With Ebrahim’s committee, made up of people who are committed elsewhere in their professional areas, unlikely to complete interviewing 80 players, dotted around the world, within a month or two, it means all the blacklisted players are out of the 2013 Nations Cup opener against Burundi later this month.
The Warriors will get their campaign underway in Burundi on February 29 and then host Burundi on June 17.
The players, though, are not banned from playing football and can continue plying their trade at their clubs although a ban could be imposed by Fifa if they are found guilty by the Independent Ethics Committee.
Some of the high-profile players, who have been barred from playing for the Warriors, are Ovidy Karuru, Zhaimu Jambo, Washington Arubi, Daniel Vheremu, Khama Billiat, Gilbert Mapemba, Willard Katsande, Thomas Sweswe, Method Mwanjali and Edward Sadomba.
But Nyasha Mushekwi and Tafadzwa Rusike, whose names have constantly been linked to the scandal because they travelled to one of the trips to Asia, are still eligible to be selected for the national team because their names don’t appear on the list being used by Zifa.
This also means all the Monomonatapa players, who were dragged into the Asiagate scandal after they mas­queraded as the national team in a friendly match in Malaysia, are not blacklisted even though they played two matches during that tour while a player like Kat­sande is blacklisted for playing one game.
Warriors’ newboy, Tapuwa Kumbuyani, who was part of that Monomotapa team, is therefore not black­listed.
Warriors’ coach, Norman Mapeza, who is also fin­gered in the scandal, has been sparred, for the time being, but there is no guarantee that he would be in charge of the team when they play their 2013 Nations Cup first round tie against Burundi later this month.
Chances are that Mapeza could be on the sidelines when the Warriors take on Burundi given Zifa’s hard­line stance taken at an emergency board meeting in Harare on Monday night.
His assistant, Joey Antipas, has also been fingered in the Asiagate report and could be thrown onto the side­lines.
Zifa president Cuthbert Dube, vice-president Ndu­miso Gumede, board member (competitions) Benedict Moyo and board member (finance) Elliot Kasu attended the emergency board meeting where a deci­sion was taken to bar all 80 players, who have been fin­gered in the Asiagate report, from all the national team commitments.
Gumede, Moyo and Kasu were part of the four-man Zifa team, which included Fungayi Chihuri, which compiled the Asiagate report.
Zifa announced yesterday that the blacklisted players will only be given the greenlight to play for the national teams should they be cleared by the Independent Ethics Committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Ebrahim.
The development has plunged the Warriors into tur­moil ahead of the Nations Cup qualifier against Burundi at the end of this month.
Zifa’s decision to spare Mapeza, and target the play­ers, appears contradictory but sources told The Herald last night that the national team coach could be out of the job as early as tomorrow.
Zifa chief executive, Jonathan Mashingaidze, said their blacklisting of the players was a blanket one and targeted everyone listed in the Asiagate report, irre­spective of the number of games they are alleged to have played or sat on the bench as substitutes.
“Every player who was mentioned in the Asiagate report, regardless of how many matches they played, are suspended and will only be cleared by the Ethics Committee and, for now, they are not eligible for selec­tion in any national duty commitments,” said Mashin­gaidze. As of yesterday (Monday) we have dealt with the players only but we are not yet finished and will be meeting again later this week.
“We are saying everyone involved in Asiagate should step aside (from the national team) until the case has been finalised. There shouldn’t be favoritism.
“We are not convicting them and we are not saying clubs should convict them as yet.”
The suspension has left the Warriors’ paralysed with the technical team, if there is any going to be left, facing limited option to consider for selection.
From the current Warriors’ squad, which failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, only six players will not be affected by the suspensions.
They are TSG Hoffenheim striker Knowledge Musona, goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini, Belgium-based Vusa Nyoni and the South Africa-based trio of Mushekwi, Rusike and Lincoln Zvasiya.
Some of the players, who at one point played in the failed campaign but are not blacklisted, are Onismor Bhasera, Noel Kaseke, Quincy Antipas, Clemence Matawu, Archford Gutu and Denver Mukamba.
Zifa board member, Moyo, said the last Friday’s board meeting agreed that the committee should meet on Monday to review last year’s performance of all the national teams.
“The review was about where we went wrong admin­istratively and technically and this was the first step. And by end of the week we would have finished the restructuring of all national teams and we will announce the appointments of all the teams.
“It has been simmering from the start that the players fingered should be suspended and when we failed to qualify a lot of questions were unanswered.
“We want to be sure as we are preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations and we are concerned. We failed in last year’s campaign and we are judged by the per­formance of the teams.
“It is better to fail to qualify with a group of people whom we trust. There were some reports that even our last match against Cape Verde could have been fixed so this is not a healthy situation going forward.
“And until the Ethics Committee clear them or the players go voluntarily to the Ethics Committee to clear their names they remain suspended.”
Questions, inevitably, spring up about the timing of the exercise.
“We could have done this earlier but we felt we would derail the campaign but at the end of the day we still failed to qualify,” said Moyo.
“So we are saying for the new Afcon and World Cup qualifiers campaign, we are starting on a clean page and the players can only rejoin the national team when they have been cleared by the Ethics Committee and this development now calls for a speedy conclusion of Asia­gate.
“The initial report was not a complete report, it was not foolproof, and if someone was omitted then that’s it, they are not affected until the Committee finishes its job. And we are saying all the players mentioned in the report, whether they participated in one match or a number of games, they are all suspended and it is now the task of the Committee to see who are guilty and who are not.”
He said they had advised Mapeza of the develop­ments and believe they will come up with the players to fill the gap.
“We have a Premiership league running and a Divi­sion One league and we believe there are good players that can really assist us,” said Moyo.
“We are a country with a population of about 16 mil­lion and surely cannot fail to raise a team.
“Remember the whole team of Zambia perished but they soldiered on. We are not saying we are enjoying doing this having to start again but we want to clean our football and we are sure we will rise from the ashes.
“The suspensions are for the national teams only and we are quite specific about that. The club commitments would be touched by the Ethics Committee,” said Moyo.

Suspended Players

Ovidy Karuru 2
Pride Tafirenyika 2
Cuthbert Malajila 2
David Kutyauripo 2
Zhaimu Jambo 2
Washington Arubi 2
Charles Chiutsa 1
Zephania Ngodzo 2
Ronald Sengu 1
Evans Chikwaikwai 2
Daniel Vheremu 2
Gilbert Mushangazhike 1
Augustine Mbara 2
Kennedy Chirwa 2
Brian Katsuruware 2
Tendai Ranthokwane 2
Rex Mabeza 2
Martin Vengesai 2
Hardlife Zvirekwi 2
Milton Ncube 2
Cliff Sekete 2
Hardlife Mafundi 2
Knowledge Machona 2
Khama Billiart 2
Proud Zireni 2
Khumbulani Banda 2
Nyasha Mukumbi 2
Gilbert Mapemba 2
Thabani Goredema 2
Asani Nhongo 1
Christopher Semakweri 2
Tawanda Muparati 2
Thabani Masuku 2
Willard Katsande 1
Marshal Matenda 1
Last Chibwiro 1
Max Nyamupanedengu 1
Guthrie Zhokinyi 1
George Magariro 1
Arthur Mafusire 1
Carrington Gomba 1
Wonder Sithole 1
Thabani Kamusoko 1
Marvel Samaneka 1
Edmore Chitato 1
Tawanda Nyamandwe 1
Clive Kawinga 1
Leonard Tsipa 1
Tawanda Amos Mandicha 1
Elvis Meleka 4
Tichaona Ngodzo 3
Nicholas Arifandika 3
Oscar Machapa 3
Milton Makopa 3
Tsungai Mudzamiri 6
Edward Tembo 5
Menard Mupera 7
Thomas Sweswe 15
Lionel Mtizwa 13
Danisa Phiri 8
Mtshumayeli Moyo 13
Johannes Ngodzo 9
Ali Sadiki 5
Beavan Chikaka 5
Eusebio Manuwere 10
Phillip Marufu 6
Edmore Sibanda 6
Justice Majabvi 8
Edward Sadomba 7
Kingstone Nkhatha 7
Washington Pakamisa 7
Tafadzwa Dube 5
Energy Murambadoro 6
Costa Nhamoinesu 6
Method Mwanjali 7
Gilbert Banda 9
Richard Mteki 7
Willard Manyatera 5

 

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