Zimbabwe player handed life ban for 'match fixing' in 2009 Cecafa tournament

Nov 21, 2012 1:33:00 PM

According to Zimbabwe's Daily Mail, the former defender was found guilty of match fixing during the 2009 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Nairobi

Zimbabwe Football Association (ZFA) has handed former national team player Guthrie Zhokinyi a lifetime ban from football activities.

According to Zimbabwe's leading newspaper Daily Mail, this was after the former defender was found guilty of match fixing during the 2009 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup tournament held in Nairobi.

Zimbabwe football authorities were initially investigating a series of scandals related to the national team's tour of Asia between 2007 and 2009 but later broadened their focus to the team's participation in the regional tournament that was staged in Nairobi and Mumias.

Zimbabwe participated as a guest team and were drawn in Group B alongside Rwanda, Eritrea and Somalia. They finished third in the group with four points advancing to the last eight after beating Somalia 2-0, drawing with Eritrea 0-0 and going down 1-0 to Rwanda. In the quarter-finals they were humbled 4-1 by Rwanda.

It is believed the players were offered cash incentives by betting companies to 'change the natural course' of matches the team played in - including the Cecafa tournament.

Zhokinyi - who has appealed the ban - captained the national side during the tourney and was apparently instrumental in negotiating for money to fix matches. World Governing body FIFA are yet to officially endorse the suspension.

Efforts by Goal.com to get a comment from Cecafa officials have so far proved futile.

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