Zimbabwe FA boss vows to crack down on poor officiation

Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) president, Nqobile Magwizi, has vowed to ‘sanitise’ the country’s questionable officiation which could breed match-fixing.

The newly elected FA boss said this in a weekly column he has introduced to address emerging and pertinent issues in Zimbabwe football.

The move is seen as part of his broader strategy to restore transparency and accountability with fans given an opportunity to share feedback.

Magwizi said he could not run away from the sad reality of the recent spotlight on refereeing matters in Zimbabwe.

“It is, in fact, a welcome opportunity to clean house and restore integrity. We are taking firm steps to ensure that the Referees Committee operates independently, transparently and according to merit,” the FA boss explained.

The ZIFA supremo vowed to decisively punish errant referees to eradicate possible match-fixing.

“Disciplinary cases are being handled fairly but decisively. Let me be clear: there is no room for corruption, match-fixing or abuse of office in Zimbabwean football. The days of impunity are over,” he vowed.

Earlier this month, ZIFA suspended referees Lloyd Mapanje, Grace Gimo and assistant referee Claris Simango from officiating three games each in the Zimbabwe’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.

The association cracked the whip on the referees saying they had performed below the expected standard for top-flight league matches. The sanctions against the three brings to five the number of referees penalised this season alone.