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Robson Sharuko H-Metro Editor

IN the past few days, the explosive case related to the alleged abuse of female referees in local football, has captured the interest of journalists from some of the world’s biggest newspapers.

After years, in which such rampant abuse was considered part of the culture of a game, which considered itself a kingdom of masculinity, women have been fighting back.

And, as football embraces the changes happening around it, including taking the first steps towards giving women equal benefits to their male counterparts, the game is now also fighting in their corner.

The skeletons have been tumbling out of the cupboards and, in Haiti this year, it brought down a heavyweight who had ruled the country’s football federation for more than two decades.

Now, some of the journalists, who exposed the shocking scale of the allegations of sexual abuse at Haiti’s national football centre, where at least 34 women were abused, have turned their focus to the cases in Zimbabwe and Gabon.

Two years ago, Gabonese authorities ordered an inquiry into sexual assaults against members of their national Under-20 women’s team, by their officials.

The attacks are said to have happened during a tournament in the French city of Marseille.

“Young women selected to the national women’s Under-20 football team reported abuse, sexual harassment, touching and rape allegedly committed by members of the team’s technical and administrative staff,” Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who was then the Sports Minister, said.

“The seriousness of the alleged facts has just led me to refer the matter to FEGAFOOT (Gabonese Football Federation) for an internal investigation. “I have also just referred the matter to the Public Prosecutor for the opening of an investigation which could lead, if the facts are established, to legal proceedings against the alleged offenders.

“Deviant behaviour, such as sexual harassment, psychological violence and pressure of all kinds cannot flourish in sport.”

The local case is largely concentrated on allegations, which have been made by a number of female referees, who claim they have either been harassed, or sexually abused, by some of the leaders of their fraternity.

So far, it has emerged that:

The Sports and Recreation Commission are in receipt of a report of alleged sexual harassment of female referees, by key technical staff, within ZIFA.

The SRC claim that “despite several requests, for the matter to be decisively dealt with, ZIFA did not give the matter adequate attention, in view of its gravity.

The SRC claim that while “the nation has made significant strides, in empowering the Girl Child to be an active participant in sports, incidences of sexual harassment” have not been given the attention they deserve “to enable a conducive environment for participation by all.”

The local female referees, who made the claims they were allegedly being abused, also filed their cases with COSAFA, CAF and FIFA.

One of these referees spoke to this newspaper on Thursday, and gave a moving account of her case, claiming she was asked by one of the top officials of the ZIFA Referees Committee, “to come and spend a night with him,” at a city hotel.

After she rejected the advances, she claims, another member of that committee targeted her, during a seminar, accusing her of spreading falsehoods, with her sensational claims of improper behaviour.

Amid that spectacular fallout, in which she insisted her claims were not only valid but were rampant among other female referees, she wept uncontrollably, in front of her fellow referees.

After this incident, she claims, she was demoted and an inexperienced colleague was promoted to take her case and fast-tracked, to even handle some of the big matches.

One of their colleagues, within the domestic female refereeing community, she claims, is now sick and has since been telling them she is another victim of sexual abuse.

The sensitivity of the issue, as this newspaper correctly reported last month, has forced FIFA to delay their intervention, in the stand-off between the SRC and the suspended ZIFA board, amid concerns in Zurich, the world football governing body could be dragged into a mess.

Two years ago, FIFA suffered significant profile damage, when the then Afghanistan national team coach, Kelly Lindsey, sharply criticised the world football controlling body, for not protecting women against sexual predators.

It followed FIFA’s decision to hand a life ban on Afghanistan Football Federation president, Keramuddin Keram, for abusing his position to sexually abuse a number of female national team players.

Lindsey, a former American international footballer, claimed that, together with her players, they had raised concerns to FIFA, and the Asian Football Confederation, of the rampant abuse, much earlier.

But, she said, their spirited efforts were rebuffed until the case exploded.

“It’s disgusting that there is no structure to investigate something like this, that there’s no system yet,’’ she told Reuters.

“You’re told over and over again ‘Well, you’re not going through the system.’ There is no clear system. Even when you put in a report you get nothing back. Nobody responds.

“You can send it through all layers of AFC and FIFA – you’ll get nothing back.”

It’s the same frustration, which the local female referees have also been feeling, since they started their campaign to shame those who have allegedly been abusing them.

However, the interest, which their case is now generating, among some of the leading journalists who have been fighting such abuse, in countries around the world, means it can no longer be ignored.

“I’ve (written) a lot of stories about sexual abuses in football/basketball (the cases in Haiti and Mongolia for example, and soon Gabon),’’ one the leading journalists, who contacted The Herald, wrote this week.

“I read with great interest your piece about sexual harassment (of) referees in Zimbabwe.

“I would be delighted to know more and talk about it, I also heard some sexual abuses happened in women’s football there.”

The journalist was involved in exposing the case which brought down Haiti football strongman, Yves Jean-Bart, who was banned for life by FIFA, in January this year.

“Mr Jean-Bart’s behaviour is simply inexcusable, a disgrace for any football official,” the chairperson of the FIFA adjudicatory chamber, Vassilios Skouris, said.

“The pain and suffering he has caused his various victims of sexual harassment and abuse cannot even be fully comprehended, and represents a very dark stain on the image and reputation of football as a sport loved by so many.

“While claiming he was developing Haitian football, in particular women’s competitions and teams, Mr Jean-Bart did the exact opposite, he abused his position in order to satisfy his personal attitude of domination over the most fragile people, destroying the careers and lives of young promising female players.”