SYDNEY MUBAIWA
GWERU- ZIFA Central Region Soccer League outfit Sheasham FC has castigated corrupt match officials, journalists, and other teams for destroying the game of football in the country.
Addressing the media in Gweru yesterday Club chairman Reginald Chidawanyika accused key stakeholders in the local game of fostering a culture of dishonesty and manipulation that has rendered fair competition impossible and leading to the team’s withdrawal.
He said corruption thrives because professionals like journalists have stopped doing their work. Adding that instead of telling the truth, they polish their language and cover up wrongdoing.
He said some journalists have chosen silence over truth leading to the decay of the Zimbabwean football and other sporting activities.
Chidawanyika lamented what he described as biased officiating, media complicity, and a general lack of accountability within football’s governing structures, saying the integrity of the game had been completely eroded.
“If what we have witnessed on the pitch was being reported honestly, we wouldn’t be here today,” he said. “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 start.
