Raj Perumal back in the limelight
Former Zimbabwe football chief says women’s Olympic matches are the ‘ultimate goal’
NOTORIOUS match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal has apparently been active in South Africa again, with police statements indicating that Premier Soccer League players will have to mount a strong defence at a PSL disciplinary committee hearing this week.
The PSL has filed charges against eight officials and players, who will appear before the committee on Wednesday.
University of Pretoria goalkeeper Washington Arubi, Polokwane City keeper George Chigova and defender Lebohang Motumi, and Bloemfontein Celtic keeper Patrick Tignyemb and midfielder Lantshene Phalane are implicated in a sordid tale of alleged match-fixing involving ex-Zimbabwe Football Association [Zifa] CEO Henrietta Rushwaya.
Sunday Times is in possession of various statements made to the Zimbabwean police. Rushwaya’s statement claims she was “playing along” and collecting “empirical evidence”.
Rushwaya said she was contacted in December by Perumal from Hungary. Perumal was behind the fixing of five Bafana Bafana matches ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. She claimed to have immediately alerted Fifa investigator Terry Steans.
Rushwaya had a life ban lifted by Zifa in January, having been found guilty of fixing games involving Zimbabwe’s national team on Asian tours between 2007 and 2009.
“As a commitment I made to Fifa in 2012 . . . that I will help curb future match-fixing, this is my little contribution towards realising my dream,” her statement read.
Rushwaya believed the fixers’ “ultimate goal was to fix the women’s Olympic Games in Brazil. The [PSL] matches were meant to test my capability.”
Steans said he warned Rushwaya about getting involved, but she went ahead anyway.
Rushwaya alleged Arubi accepted a payment in a meeting at the Protea Hotel in Pretoria for a game against Free State Stars on February 3 2016.
“[Arubi] was promised to join
HENRIETTA RUSHWAYA
LANTSHENE PHALANE
GEORGE CHIGOVA
PATRICK TIGNYEMB a club in Hungary and also $10 000 a match. The instruction was he should let in two goals in the first half and trail by two goals as a final result,” she said.
“[Arubi] came to the hotel in the company of [Tuks goalkeeper-coach] Tendai Tanyanyiwa and [Arubi’s friend] Leeroy Waguta.”
Rushwaya claims Arubi ignored instructions despite accepting the money as he too was playing along and Perumal’s representative, named as “Roberto”, was seething with rage.
“Roberto was kicking doors in the [hotel] corridor shouting at the top of his voice that he wanted his money … He had lost more than $35k and his colleagues about $75k.”
In his statement, Waguta insists Arubi declined the offer.
“I was personally tasked to approach [Arubi]... Upon broaching the subject he vehemently refused and even threatened to assault me. He then immediately reported me to Tanyanyiwa who in turn threatened to call the police,” Waguta stated, adding he had to flee the situation.
Arubi, in camp with Zimbabwe’s national team, declined to comment.
Rushwaya says she fled to Zimbabwe, but was convinced by Perumal to return to South Africa.
She met someone named “Chann Sankaran” at Garden Court in Sandton to plan for the match between Bidvest Wits and Tuks on February 19. This is the same man who did jail time in England for conspiring to fix matches in the UK’s lower leagues.
“I called former [Zimbabwe] coach Ian Gorowa … to play an intermediary role between players and fixers since I was beginning to suspect the fixers no longer trusted my commitment 100%,” she said.
Chigova was allegedly approached for Polokwane’s 1-1 draw against Kaizer Chiefs on February 23, but was not “easily tempted”. The keeper was named man of the match.
Waguta, however, alleges Chigova took money before Polokwane lost 5-0 to Wits in January.