FORMER ZIMBABWE FA CEO RUSHWAYA TO STAND TRIAL

By NBF News

A court in Zimbabwe has ruled that Henrietta Rushwaya, the former Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa), will stand trial.

Rushwaya was arrested last week on charges of bribery and match-fixing but was released on bail on Monday.

She is alleged to have sent the national team to play matches in Asia where results were fixed.

“The accused is to come back to court on 20 February,” Harare magistrate Anita Tshuma said.

The incident surrounds tours to Asia between 2007 and 2009, with Zimbabwe players having told an initital Zifa inquiry that they were paid to lose matches on these trips.

In the Zimbabwean capital, the magistrate has ordered Rushwaya not to interfere with investigations and to report to the police once every fortnight.

Her arrest comes days after Zifa suspended 80 players implicated in the scandal from the national team.

National team coach Norman Mapeza and his assistant Joey Antipas, who were also implicated, have both been suspended by Zifa.

Zifa has also disclosed that a new coach will be named on Wednesday to take charge of the team ahead of this month's 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi.

Last August, Zifa suspended three board members, including an ex-international and a former referee over the scandal.

Fifa chief Sepp Blatter warned during a visit to Harare last year that any players and officials found guilty in the ongoing probe would face life bans.