Guthrie Zhokinyi says sorry over Asiagate
By Fatima Bulla
Dynamos captain Guthrie ‘‘Tollgate’’ Zhokinyi has become the first victim of the Asiagate saga to seek Zifa’s clemency after accepting the judgment meted out last month.
The crunch centre-back was handed a life ban by the Justice Ebrahim-led Independent Ethics Committee for his part in the Cecafa Senior Challenge of 2009 in Kenya where he is accused of having co-ordinated the illegal exchange of money between convicted match-fixer Raj Perumal and the Warriors team.
Zhokinyu was the Warriors’ stand-in skipper during the tour. But while most of his accomplices have removed their gloves to take on Zifa, a contrite Zhokinyu said he was pleading with the football association to relax his sentence.
The former CAPS FC defender said since Zifa were still in consultation with Fifa over the issue and his other accomplices were still going about their official duties, he is waiting for Zifa to set the special appeals committee so that he can appeal.
Zhokinyu is one of the 15 individuals who were slapped with life bans by Zifa for their involvement in the Asiagate scandal with the four other players being Method Mwanjali, Thomas Sweswe, Edmore Sibanda and Danisa Phiri.
The only player to have been directed to stop playing after the announcement, Zhokinyu expressed regret for the role he played, and painted a gloomy picture of his future.
“I have already engaged a lawyer and now we are waiting for Zifa to set up their committee so we can appeal. I will know everything on Monday when they respond.”
While Mamelodi Sundowns and Bidvest Wits have already indicated their desire to help their respective players Mwanjali and Sweswe fight the ban, Zhokinyu is unlikely to receive much support from Dynamos who may not want to be seen fighting the mother body.
The ban, which took immediate effect last Friday, saw Zhokinyu failing to play in the Mbada Diamonds Cup in which Dynamos won 3-0 against Gunners. He has missed a further two Castle Lager Premier Soccer League fixtures against Highlanders at Rufaro last Sunday and Black Mambas at Morris Depot in mid-week.
Sources say Zhokinyu has, in fact, not been seen anywhere near the club and he will be missing as well in today’s premiership clash against Monomotapa.
Mwanjali has also not appeared for his side since news of the ban reached South Africa while Black Leopards coach Sunday Marimo has been stopped from sitting on the bench and Danisa Phiri dismissed as Quelaton assistant coach.
Zhokinyu would not say anything more on the issue except that Zifa had promised to get back to him by tomorrow. But he admitted that inactivity was already taking a toll on the “Tollgate’’.
“It’s not easy being away from football because that is my life, but since they are the authorities, we have to obey what they decide. All I can say is we have to go with what they decide, he said.
Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa acknowledged in principle the club’s desire to support the 29-year-old tackler who plays a pivotal role in the heart of Kalisto Pasuwa’s defence.
“We are waiting for Zifa to finalise this case. Right now it is traumatising our players, once we know the banned players we obviously are going to help them fight their cases. Guthrie is our best defender and we obviously miss him,” Mubaiwa said.
Zhokinyu’s counterpart, Tawanda Muparati, who has since been leading the team, said they were missing Zhokinyu but whoever replaced him in his position would prove just as capable.
Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze confirmed that Zhokinyu, Sweswe and Mwanjali had expressed interest to appeal their life bans. He re-iterated statements made by the mother body’s vice-president, Ndumiso Gumede, that an independent appellate would be set up to receive any appeals.
“There has been interest from those wanting their cases to be heard and they will be referred to the Special Appeals Committee. Everything will be on course on Monday when we will reveal the fees an individual has to pay so that their case can be heard by the committee whose names should also be known on the same day,” Mashingaidze announced.
He emphasised that the banned individuals, as directed by Fifa, have to exhaust all local channels whose zenith is the Commercial Arbitration Centre. Sunday Mail
