Kasinauyo cries foul

By Nigel Matongorere

Former Zifa board member Edzai Kasinauyo is determined to clear his name after he was banned for 10 years from all football activities for his alleged involvement in the Warriors match-fixing scandal.

Zifa banned former officials Henrietta Rushwaya and Jonathan Musavengana for life while Kasinauyo and former Warriors coach Ian Gorowa were handed 10-year bans at last weekend’s Annual General Meeting which saw the birth of the National Football Association of Zimbabwe (Nafaz).

Ex-Warriors assistant coach Nation Dube was handed a five-year ban while football agent Kudzi Shaba was cleared on any wrong doing.

It is alleged Rushwaya working together with Kasinauyo, Gorowa, Dube and Zifa’s key witness Leeroy Waguta tried to fix Zimbabwe’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Group L qualifiers against Swaziland back in March.

Kasinauyo insists the sanctions handed out by the dissolved association last weekend are a travesty of justice since he was not afforded a chance to defend himself.

“I was so surprised to hear that I have been banned for 10 years. I was never called to any hearing and I’m actually waiting for that; then all of a sudden I read in the newspapers that I have been banned for 10 years,” Kasinauyo told the Daily News.

“It’s actually a surprise and at the same time my lawyers are still waiting for the written confirmation of this ban.

“I have never been called for any hearing. I’m actually waiting to attend any hearing if there is going to be any one.”

The former CAPS United and Moroka Swallows midfielder is aggrieved Zifa did not give him an opportunity to present his case before a competent disciplinary committee.

However, Nafaz legal representive Itayi Ndudzo said: “He (Kasinauyo) is completely misguided because due process was followed. There is an expulsion by congress in terms of article 34 which is what transpired.”

But Kasinauyo contends that it was un-procedural: “When Zifa began making these allegations they were saying they have got mountains of evidence against me; they said they have got e-mails, text messages and photos.

“If they have such evidence then they should not be afraid to call me for a hearing where they would easily convict me using their tonnes of evidence against me.

“It seems they are just in a hurry to bury this issue without giving me a chance to prove my innocence.”

Kasinauyo, who now runs a sports goods retail entity, added: “As I have been saying since the beginning; I have never done anything wrong and I have never done things to defeat the progress of Zimbabwean football.

“What I have actually done is work hard to uplift Zimbabwean football. Even during my playing days; I used to give 100 percent and after retiring, I have pushed 100 percent for the development of local football.”

With Zifa dissolved, Kasinauyo said he is now working with his lawyers to see how he can lodge his appeal.

“Now with what is happening; it’s a pity that I can’t say much regarding the match fixing allegations because we have only read about it in the press,” he said.

“We also have got a court case and a lot of issues and at the moment, my lawyers are working to clear my name.

“They (lawyers) are working hard to see where and to whom we can appeal against this injustice.” Daily News