Match-fixing allegations hit Flames opponent
Football Association of Malawi (Fam) president, Walter Nyamilandu, has—on behalf of his association— refused to poke his nose into damaging match-fixing allegations involving the Flames’ opponents, Zimbabwe’s Warriors.
Nyamilandu reserved his reaction after Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) suspended provisionally its executive member, Edzai Kasinauyo, on Tuesday on allegations of match-fixing ahead of the Warriors’ Group L match against joint-leaders, Swaziland.
“We are in the dark about the allegations. It would be better for Caf/Fifa to get to the bottom of this matter,” Nyamilandu said Wednesday.
However, refereeing great, Bester Kalombo, who has come across several match-fixing incidents in his distinguished career, called on Fam to be on guard ahead of the Flames’ remaining Afcon qualifiers against Guinea, Zimbabwe and Swaziland.
“If someone was trying to fix a game involving Swaziland, what can stop them from doing the same for Malawi’s game? We need to be cautious. Match-fixing is done at the level of referees and players. We have Patrick Kapanga, who was trained by Fifa to help Malawi fight match-fixing. We need to make use of him, but it is complicated,” said the former Caf referee manager, Kalombo.
The third-placed Flames are involved in the group and, having lost 1-2 at Kamuzu Stadium to the Warriors in the first round match last June, travel to Harare this June for the return leg.
The Warriors of Zimbabwe face Swaziland on March 25 on the same day that the Flames will be in Guinea for the group’s other match.
The allegations have attracted the reaction of Caf secretary general, Hicham El Amrani, who has promised that the continental body will move in with precautionary measures involving all matches, including Afcon.
“We will, immediately, in consultation with Fifa, investigate and activate the mechanisms necessary to ensure that similar actions will not come to affect the course of any match, be it in the context of the Afcon 2017 qualifiers or any other future competition” El Amrani said in a statement.
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