By James Sibeleki | June 19, 2019
(LIVINGSTONE): The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has engaged investigative wings such as the Anti Corruption of Zambia (ACC), Zambia Police and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to probe former FAZ Vice president Boniface Mwamelo over his involvement in match fixing scandal, Youth, Sports and Child Development Minister Moses Mawere has said.
Earlier this year, in a press statement released by ACC Cooperate affairs officer Christopher Chibanku, the commission said it had commenced an investigation against Boniface Mwamelo over match fixing.
This follows a revelation by the world’s football governing body FIFA that Mwamelo received bribes from a named international match fixer to coerce some Zambia National team players to lose matches during their 2010 Olympics qualifiers so that the international match fixer can win football bets.
Mwamelo was subsequently slapped with a lifelong FIFA ban from all football related activities.
Mawere was responding to the question submitted by the honorable MP for Milenge Mr. Mwansa Mbwakulima in Parliament question session.
Honorable Mbwakulima wanted to know how government received the news of match fixing at football house and whether there was any plan of engaging investigative wings to probe the matter further.
In his response Mawere said that State house received this news with profound concern.
“The government of the Republic of Zambia receive the news of match fixing with deep concern. This involves the former Vice president of the Football Association of Zambia Mr. Boniface Mwamelo and some players,” he said.
And Mawere said the vice has a negative effect on the development of sports as it compromises the values of sportsmanship, adding that it also had critical ramification on they’re sponsorship of the sport from the cooperate entities that might lose trust in FAZ.
“The vice of match fixing Mr Speaker affects sports development negatively by compromising the values of sportsmanship that includes fair play.
“The vice also critically effects sponsorship of the sport from the cooperate entities that may lose faith and trust in a particular association, club or sports person.”
The Minister of Sports reiterated that FAZ has engaged ACC, Zambia police and other investigative wings to probe the erstwhile FAZ vice president, adding that his ministry was going to continue to make follow ups through the National Sports Council.
“Football Association of Zambia has engaged the Zambian investigative wings such as the Anti Corruption Commission and the Zambia Police Service to investigate the matter fully with the people involved.
“The ministry will continue to follow up the matter closely through the National Sports Council of Zambia.”
Meanwhile eyebrows were raised by the honorable member of parliament for Monze Central over the exclusion of the controversial financial intelligent center (FIC) among the investigative wings to probe this matter. However Mawere repelled this, saying that FIC was not an investigative wing.
And Mawere could not give assurances over the timeframe of this investigation. He said that the investigative wings were independent and that government will not interfere but wait with the citizenly for the final verdict.