MONOMOTAPA'S 2009 Champions League escapade was subjected to match-fixing with the team urged to lose to Etoile du Sahel to pocket handsome rewards.The trip eventually cost coach Rodwell Dhlakama and manager Clayton Munemo their jobs. The 2008 league champions were forced to summon a meeting after players boycotted training upon the team's return. Monomotapa were also worried about the rampant rumours and suspicion surrounding the Etoile du Sahel match. There had been allegations of bribes given to members of the technical team in order to rig the result of the match in which the Harare team lost 2-0.
Club co-owners Licius Sibanda and Solomon Mugavazi, coach Dhlakama, team manager Munemo, assistant coach Taurayi Mangwiro, captain Mthulisi Maphosa and team doctor, a Chipandu, attended the 19 September 2009 meeting. Taking minutes was secretary Jean Gora. According to documents in our possession, Munemo gave details of what transpired in Tunisia where he was given the phone by Dhlakama. The former Dynamos attacking linkman was allegedly advised by suspended Zifa chief executive officer Henrietta Rushwaya that TP Mazembe had lost, so Monomotapa ought to play to lose. She said they would get money if they lost.
"At half time Raja (the benefactor — the man who was funding the whole deal) spoke to the manager where he emphasised the need for MUFC (Monomotapa) to lose the game as he had already put his bet down. He promised to give each player US$4 000 which translated to US$60 000 for the players and an aside of US$10 000 for the coaches. Raja was under the impression that he was speaking to the head coach. He went on to say that he would honour his deal as he had the last time in Malaysia when he had bought a laptop," reads a section of the Monomotapa minutes.
Munemo admitted that the phone was passed on to him several times by the coach during the match. He alleged that he did not share the information as he felt that was not the right forum to discuss the information he had come across. The Monomotapa manager said he kept on speaking to these people to get to the bottom of the whole issue to understand what was happening. On the trip to Tunisia, it was the club's admission that they had travelled with positive morale in the camp.
"It was only in the return trip that tension was high as issues of bribery and money began to surface."
Assistant coach Mangwiro's submission was that Dhlakama missed team talk that was supposed to be in his room and they ended up meeting in the assistant coach's room. Dhlakama arrived at 6:20pm when the meeting was over and players headed for supper. Mangwiro told the meeting that the Etoile du Sahel coach had come to tell them (Mangwiro, Dhlakama, Munemo) that TP Mazembe had lost their match. The boys were not advised of the scoreline. Two minutes into the match a text message came through the coach's phone and he passed it on to the manager. That continued throughout the game.
Mangwiro said as he passed water to Darryl Nyandoro he overheard the coach say "Hanzi nasisi . . ." to Vorster (Chitemu). He however did not get the exact words. Contrary to previous matches where Mangwiro went to post-match Press conferences, on that day Dhlakama went and captain Maphosa asked the team manager why he had been told that they should lose 4-0. Players are said to have congregated at the back of the bus and later Maphosa requested Mangwiro to come to a meeting with the players. The meeting then took place later with a lot of arguing with the players highlighting that some money had been paid. They insisted that it should be shared. A heated argument ensued with Maphosa leading to Munemo walking out. Later Dhlakama and goalkeeper Godfrey Mangove followed. Dhlakama distanced himself from the discussion and said no money had been given to him.
Chipandu, in his evidence, said the coach and head of delegation had gone out to look for phones and came after the team talk ahead of the game. He said the number of phone calls that came through during the match were peculiar. He said when he asked where the phone calls were from, Munemo told him they were from Rushwaya. Maphosa said in his submission that when they conceded the first goal, he had gone to talk to the defenders who had not responded to his criticism and the goalkeeper Mangove had laughed after being beaten by the ball. On the bus back to the hotel Mangove was accused of fixing the result. The goalkeeper had in turn queried what business Maphosa had with a Tunisian who was selling football boots at the hotel before the match.
It is the Monomotapa captain's bit that also implicates suspended Zifa programmes officer Jonathan Musavengana whom he said had contacted them when they arrived requesting to meet him as a group.
Maphosa, Tendai Samanja, Daniel Zokoto and Chitemu went to meet him and he asked the players whether they had received their share of the money. The players denied receiving any money and at that juncture Musavengana went on to call Raja as the money was supposed to have been given to Dhlakama in South Africa while they were in transit. Musavengana told the boys that he had been trying to get hold of the coach but to no avail. By the time Monomotapa held the meeting Musavengana had not called back as per his promise. On his part Dhlakama said head of delegation he had a call from Rushwaya.
She asked Dhlakama to excuse himself from many people and went on to say: "I am giving you an instruction, you should lose the game by four goals to nil, the first two goals should be in the first half's 35 to 45 minutes and the other goals in the second half." Dhlakama said he just agreed with her so that they would not have to continue with the conversation. She is alleged to have later called to find out if he had understood the instruction and that Raja would also call later. After the first goal she is said to have called to ask whether they did not want any money as the goal had been scored earlier than the time prescribed.
Rushwaya, who is on suspension over match-fixing allegations and for her role in the Asian trips, then instructed them to concede three goals in the second half.
Dhlakama admitted that he had given Rushwaya his Tunisian number, as the head of delegation would be on the terraces during the match. Monomotapa resolved on 19 September last year to suspend Dhlakama and Munemo. Monomotapa reached the Champions League's round robin stage in their first appearance.
Efforts to contact Rushwaya to confirm if indeed she called the Monomotapa coach while in Tunisia were fruitless yesterday. Match-fixing has emerged as the biggest threat to the African game and several Zimbabwe soccer personalities who include coaches, administrators, media practitioners and players have been caught up in the mess. Last year Monomotapa travelled to Malaysia disguised as the Zimbabwe senior national team.
They even wore Warriors colours in one of the scandals to hit the local game.
It has emerged that some of the results posted back home from the Asia trips were doctored, as the Warriors in some instances would have lost by huge margins.
By Lovemore Dube for The Chronicle.
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