Convicted former Zambia striker Nchimunya Mweetwa starts match-fixing foundation

Former Zambia and Rovaniemi Palloseura (RoPs) forward Nchimunya Mweetwa has established a foundation to discourage football players from involving themselves in match-fixing.

The Nchimunya Mweetwa Sports Foundation was created by the ex-striker, who was tried, convicted and given a suspended jail sentence by a Finnish court for match-fixing after appeal.

Fifa also came in to hand him a two-year ban and five other Zambia players after the conviction, ending his football career despite trying to resurrect the same in his home country, Uganda and Botswana.

Now attributing that the background of some African footballers push them to fall into the temptations of throwing games, Mweetwa is on the drive to help curb match-fixing.

"Africa is a poverty stricken continent, we are not privileged enough like these other continents like Europe and America but we cannot just say because of poverty that is why we behave unethically," he Mweetwa told BBC Sport.

"We cannot say because of poverty that is why I am stealing. For me and the rest of the group what we are trying to do is to reduce the number of athletes falling prey. It is difficult and it is very hard because everyone wants to have food on the table and if you are offered money to dishonestly manipulate a game you are tempted.

"We are trying to help these people to actually think about the long term and not the short term of receiving money - just to use it there and then and then lose everything. We are trying to make people understand that you can actually live with a true conscience and make it in life."

While the Zambian players convicted in Finland, a match-fixing scandal was also brewing in Zimbabwe where close to 100 players, coaches and administrators were embroiled in a match-manipulation scandal.

But Mweetwa's foundation is however focused on Zambian footballers.