Five-year ban for Byo City coaches
THE Premier Soccer League Disciplinary Committee has handed down a five-year ban to the Bulawayo City duo of assistant coach Farai Mujokoro and kit manager Gift Mvala for attempting to fix a match between Amakhosi and Border Strikers in August.
Mujokoro and Mvala together with their club appeared before a PSL disciplinary committee hearing on 6 and 27 September. PSL disciplinary committee chairman Vusi Vuma handed down the five-year ban on Mujokoro and Mvala on 24 October while Bulawayo City were found not guilty.
“Farai Mujokoro and Gift Mvala are hereby sentenced to five (5) years ban from all football related activities. They should pay the costs of the hearing by 30 November 2016,’’ reads the conclusion of the hearing signed by Vuma with other members of the committee Brighton Mudzamiri and Doreen Gapare in agreement.
Bulawayo City, Mujokoro and Mvala all pleaded not guilty to the transgression at the start of the hearing. However, evidence presented at the hearing proved that Mujokoro and Mvala were guilty of attempting to bribe Border Strikers goalkeeper Talent Sande to throw a match against Bulawayo City at Dulivhadzimu Stadium on 3 August.
The charge as presented at the hearing was that Mujokoro telephoned Sande to match fix a game to be played on 3 August. Mujokoro is said to have offered $200 which was rejected and in turn the Bulawayo City assistant coach agreed to pay $300 before the game, $200 after and $100 bonus. Sande had informed Border Strikers board of trustees Godfrey Jera when he realised that Mujokoro was serious.
Bulawayo City were represented at the hearing by vice-chairman Zenzo Moyo, protocol officer Eddie Chivero and Prince Butshe the board member responsible for human resources. City in their evidence was a complete denial of any involvement. The club indicated that they immediately suspended the technical team when they got wind of the allegations. They made it clear that they are a big institution which cannot be involved in such practices.
Jera, Rodlet Chigwenya (secretary-general), Sande and Muneyi Nyoni (executive member) appeared at the hearing representing Border Strikers.
Mujokoro stated that he denies the charge. He said he was not aware of the allegations until the police phoned him requesting that he present himself at the station on 4 August. Mvala’s evidence was a complete denial of the offence.
The findings of the hearing were that it was not disputed that the mobile number used to call Sande and contact him on WhatsApp was the same one that Mujokoro had provided in his PSL registration. It is also registered on EcoCash as Mujokoro’s number.
Meanwhile, the internal disciplinary hearings for the suspended technical members are expected to be concluded this week. Amakhosi decided to suspend from duty, head coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube, goalkeepers coach Reginald Buhali, Mujokoro and Mvala in August when the allegations of attempting to fix the match against Border Strikers came out.
With Mujokoro and Mvala now banned, it is understood that some within the Bulawayo City leadership are pushing for Ncube to be reinstated as head coach. However, it is said there are those who are adamant that there is no way that Mujokoro could have attempted to fix the match without Ncube knowing about it.