By Andrew Warshaw
May 9 – Zimbabwe has cleared 33 of 90 players accused of being complicit in rigging results.
All those acquitted by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) play in the local league except Ovidy Karuru (pictured above, right) who plays for Boulogne in France, and Khama Billiat and Willard Katsande who play their club football in South Africa.
Former ZIFA chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya was released on bail in February after she was detained for bribery, corruption and match fixing.
She is accused of being behind the national team playing a series of friendlies three years ago in Thailand, Syria and Malaysia, where an illegal betting syndicate allegedly fixed the results.
The recent acquittals will be closely scrutinised by FIFA whose President Sepp Blatter warned during a visit to Harare last year that players and officials found guilty in the ongoing probe would face life bans.
Scores of other players and officials are still to have their fate decided by an independent disciplinary committee.
But significantly, the recent move means Billiat, Katsande and Karuru will now all be available for next month’s Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Guinea and Mozambique, as well as the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi.
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