THE Zimbabwe Warriors have challenged those claiming their
final 2019 AFCON Group A match against the DRC, could have been compromised by
a Congolese business tycoon, to use the comprehensive security apparatus at the
hotel they were staying here to substantiate such allegations or simply shut
up.
The Warriors, whose campaign here ended in the ignominy of
a shock 0-4 defeat at the hands of the Congolese last Sunday, spent the better
part of yesterday exchanging notes on their interactive media platform where
they all expressed shock at the dark and nasty turn of events.
The reports first emerged in the Madagascan media on
Wednesday but, so far, CAF have been defiant in refusing to discuss the issue
and have given DRC the green light to continue with their preparations for
their Round of 16 match against the Indian Ocean islanders in Alexandria on
Sunday.
The reports claimed the DRC were set to be thrown out of
the tournament, and also heavily fined, by CAF with wealthy Congolese
businessman, Moise Katumbi, being accused of allegedly having played the
go-between role by coercing goalkeeper, Elvis Chipezeze, to fix the match.
That the goalminder, who only played because first-choice
‘keeper, George Chigova, pulled out at the last-minute during warm-up with an
injury, had a horror show, at fault in three of the four goals the Congolese
scored, has provided fuel to the conspiracy theories that he could have been
part of a dirty plot.
However, the Warriors have banded behind their teammate and
spent the day yesterday exchanging notes questioning the allegations and
wondering why their names were now being dragged through the mud.
Captain Knowledge Musona told his teammates, in those
exchanges, he felt some people had always been trying to transform them into
the fall guys of this AFCON campaign and the latest developments would deflect
attention from the shortcomings of the other parties who contributed to the
challenges they faced here.
Musona even went to the extent of telling his teammates he
now believed they have always been an unwanted unit, by a constituency back in
Zimbabwe, and the success stories they have written in the last few years,
including ending 11 years of waiting for an appearance at the AFCON finals and
qualifying for two successive editions of the tournament, delayed the mission of
those desperate to tarnish their names.
The players said it was surprising that some of them could
be accused of having been bribed by the Congolese, here in Egypt, when the same
opponents had failed to do so when the Warriors went to Kinshasa, during the
qualifiers of the same AFCON, and beat the Leopards 2-1.
The players also felt that it was ironic that Chigova was
only embraced as a hero, when he saved penalties in shoot-outs as he did as the
COSAFA Cup, and he would be viewed with suspicion once he revealed he was
injured, during warm-up on Sunday, and could not represent the team in such
shape.
Team manager, Wellington Mpandare, speaking on behalf of
the Warriors after spending the better day of yesterday in consultations with
them since the damaging allegations were published back home, said the players
were challenging those who were making the claims to substantiate their case
with solid proof.
“The players are saying they have been badly affected by
what they have been reading, especially the allegations that they might have
participated in something to shame their country and the fans whom they believe
they have represented well in this campaign,’’ said Mpandare.
“They say they are challenging those who are trumpeting
this case not to base it on hearsay but to provide concrete evidence to back
their claims or else they should refrain from dragging their reputations
through the mud.
“The players are happy that this tournament was held in
Egypt, a country where virtually everything that happens would be captured by
cameras, and are challenging those who are claiming there were some
questionable events at their team hotel, where Moise Katumbi is said to have
bribed any one of them, to go and get the CCTV footage which will be provided
by the Meridien hotel to prove that such a thing ever happened.
“They are also disappointed that it has come to this
because they believe that they have served their country well, even when they
were not getting anything in terms of payments for their work during the
qualifiers, where they lost only one match, drew one away from home and won
against the same DRC in Kinshasa.’’
Mpandare also said that, contrary to what was being spread
on social media, he never met Katumbi when he was on this tour of duty.
“I never saw or spoke to this Katumbi guy anywhere when we
were in Egypt and that can also be confirmed, given the people who are
spreading those allegations claim it was at the team hotel, through CCTV
footage,’’ said Mpandare.
“Allegations that the team was bribed should not just be
raised without evidence to back such things because such allegations have an
effect on the players at their clubs because they lose trust and respect and
that’s the worst that can happen to any professional footballer.
“We are destroying the reputations of our stars, when they
didn’t do anything wrong, with such recklessness and, in future, don’t be
surprised when many of these boys will say we don’t want to come and play for
the national team because, when they lose, such things are said about them.
“The coach (Sunday Chidzambwa) was brave enough to say that
it was his fault that the team lost and there were areas where he feels he can
rectify given another chance and yet we want to destroy the careers of these
boys.
“Do we ever consider that we had some injured players in
our camp, who stayed around because they wanted to provide morale to their
teammates and also be part of the history that we were chasing, and now these
players are also part of the group that is now being accused.
“Some of them have been on the verge of completing moves to
some big European clubs and this has a massive effect on their careers but, it appears,
we don’t care about them and we are just happy to paint this group, as tainted,
when they have done some amazing things for this country.
“One of the players even announced that he would give his
teammates a financial bonus, if they beat DRC, to try and psyche them up to win
the match, which shows you that everyone wanted to do well in that match, and
now some people turn around and accuse them without any evidence to back those
claims.’’ Herald
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