Convicted match-fixer Mweetwa takes his anti-corruption message to the grassroots footballers of Zambia

FORMER Zambia player Nchimunya Mweetwa is on a mission to alert footballers to the dangers of match-fixing.

Mweetwa, of course, speaks from experience as he destroyed his burgeoning career when he was convicted and banned for match-fixing in 2012.

Now 34-years-old, he has started the Nchimunya Mweetwa Sports Foundation, which seeks to prevent young, emerging players from falling into the same pitfalls he experienced.

Mweetwa was just a youngster when he landed a transfer to RoPS in Finland and, at the same time, was called up to Zambia’s national team.

But his world was soon to fall apart when he was among a group of Zambian players convicted of match-fixing – and it resulted in a two-year ban by world governing body Fifa.

“Wilson Raj Perumal is the matchfixer who approached me,” Mweetwa said “He had a licence showing that he was a Fifa agent, and approached my friends and started giving them money under the guise of being an agent.

“I was also approached, he gave me about 10 000 and gave me more over time. I was partying, but eventually reality dawned on me,” said Mweetwa.

“He said the money was not for free. You need to start doing this; the money was good so I never thought it was bad to start fixing the games."

Mweetwa is hoping that by relating his experiences he can caution others against match-fixing.

“We will tour Zambia and we are trying to get the athletes from the grassroots level to be of good character.

“We want to integrate skill and talent with integrity into athletes so that when they become successful their character will sustain them." – ANA