By Wesley Murove & Perfect Chivima
Soccer-loving Zimbabweans have condemned the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for quickly accepting the decision by Sheasham football club to withdraw from the Central Region Soccer League, without launching an investigation into the alleged corruption leveled against some league administrators.
Social media was ablaze with soccer fans criticizing the football mother body for failure to institute a full-scale probe to establish if the allegations by the Gweru-based outfit were true and take appropriate action against corrupt officials.
The popular club alleged that there was a mission by some league officials who were pushing for certain teams to gain promotion by creating an uneven playing field.
On Saturday night, they announced their withdrawal from the Zifa Central Region Soccer League. Within a few hours, the soccer mother’s body responded, accepting the decision without taking any notice of the allegations.
This raised eyebrows among soccer fans who are now calling upon the Zifa board and SRC to conduct an investigation.
Speaking at a press conference, Sheasham FC chairperson, Reginald Chidawanyika, said the withdrawal also coincides with Sheasham FC’s 10th anniversary, a milestone that was meant to celebrate a decade of growth, but instead highlighted a season
marred by controversy and frustration.
Chidawanyika spoke candidly about the deteriorating football environment in the regional league, citing corruption, poor officiating, administrative failure, and breaches of both ZIFA and FIFA statutes.
“The playing environment has become toxic and completely unconducive for fair competition. We’ve faced match-fixing, violence, transfer irregularities, and
biased officiating week in and week out. We can no longer continue sanitizing a corrupt league.”
ZIFA CEO Yvonne Mapika Manwa said the club started complaining earlier in the season,
and after their controversial 3–2 loss to MSU FC, where a legitimate equalizer was disallowed.
“Several alarming incidents had led to the decision. Game No. 7, against Grain Tigers FC at Bata Stadium, was marred by unexpected violence in the stands, something he described as unprecedented, even compared to Sheasham’s time in the Premier Soccer League”
. “The level of violence witnessed was unacceptable. We’ve hosted bigger crowds in the PSL without these issues. That was a turning point,” he said.
The club submitted a formal complaint to the authorities, but no effective action was taken. Chidawanyika added, “If what we have witnessed on the pitch was being reported honestly, we wouldn’t be here today”.
“We cannot continue pretending that everything is fine when corruption is alive.The outspoken chairman declared that Sheasham would suspend all participation in league activities until the “playing field is level again,” urging authorities to clean up the sport before genuine competition can resume.
