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insisted last night that he was clean and would use the forced leave as an opportunity to clear his name.
Marange and two fellow board members – Northern Region chairman Solomon Mugavazi and board member development Methembe Ndlovu – were asked to step aside from the game’s administration during a marathon Zifa board indaba in the capital last Friday night.

The former Fifa and Caf referee would now have to appear before an Ethics committee that is expected to be commissioned by Zifa this week.
Marange was elected as the second Zifa vice-president at the elections that ushered in the Cuthbert Dube board in March 2010.
But the Mutare-based official became the administrator with the biggest profile in the game, to be fingered in the Asiagate report that dealt with the controversial tours to the Far East by the national teams amid allegations that the country’s representative sides were paid to throw away the matches.

Despite having been fingered in the Asiagate report when it came to light earlier in the year, Marange, Mugavazi and Ndlovu had, until last Friday night, continued to discharge their duties in the Zifa leadership.

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Apart from being a Zifa vice-president, Marange also headed the Zifa Referees Committee that is in charge of appointing the match officials who handle the Premiership and Division One games.

But until they appear before the Ethics committee, Marange, Mugavazi a director at Premiership side Monomotapa and Ndlovu, a director at Southern Region Division One outfit Bantu Rovers, will have to step aside from all football-related activities.
Marange’s name was dragged into the mud following allegations that when he was still an active referee, he handled a fixed match in China in 2009 in which Bahrain hammered West Africa outfit Togo 5-1.

There were claims that Marange, who was assisted on that tour of duty by Masimba Chihowa, Cosmas Nyoni and Christopher Manuel were paid US$24 000 for the fixed match.
Problems then allegedly arose after that game, forcing the quartet to hastily return home after which they allegedly handed back US$20 000 to fired Zifa chief Henrietta Rushwaya.
Rushwaya and former programmes officer Jonathan Musavengana have already been named among the masterminds of the Asiagate scandal in the dossier that was prepared by Zifa first vice-president Ndumiso Gumede, Benedict Moyo, Elliot Kasu and Fungai Chihuri.

However until last Friday night’s indaba, the Zifa board had not fully discussed the Gumede report and it was at the end of their deliberations that Marange, Mugavazi and Ndlovu became the first major boardroom casualties.
Marange last night opened up on the Zifa board resolution to suspend them and said he would respect the decision taken by his colleague.
There have also been questions over the constitutionality of the board resolution and whether a fellow board member can legally suspended another amid suggestions that such powers are vested in the Zifa Assembly.

Repeated efforts last night to also try and get comments from Mugavazi and Ndlovu failed to yield results.
Although Marange was not too keen to discuss the legalities of the board’s move he still welcomed the suspension, describing it as an opportunity for him to clear his name.
Marange revealed that he had had to try and fend of suspicions from “friends and colleagues on whether I really guilty or not”.

“All I can say is that this suspension gives me an opportunity to clear myself.
“I will stand before the committee (Ethics) and get a chance to give them my side of the story and I know that I am going to be cleared because I did not do anything wrong.
“Until Friday when I was advised verbally that I had been suspended I was discharging my duties in terms of my mandate as vice-president without any major problems.

“Although I am still to receive a written confirmation of the suspension, I have since advised my colleagues on the referees committee about the suspension and my deputy (Samukeliso Silengani) will lead the referees in my absence,” Marange said.
Marange could also not discuss much about the events at the Zifa board meeting as they had been asked to recuse themselves from the deliberations.

“The moment we got to the agenda on the Asiagate, we were asked to leave the room and so we were not privy to the nature of the discussions they had.
“Personally, I thought that those who authored the report should have also recused themselves from the debate and leave those who had only seen the report when it had been complied but again that is my personal opinion and I am not complaining.

“Like I have said the good thing about this whole episode is that it gives me a chance to clear my name because friends and colleagues were also treating me with some suspicion, not so sure whether I was really guilty or not.
“I know it is a temporary set back and I will be back once the committee has finished its job,” Marange said.

The Ethics committee, which will have a retired High Court judge and some legal experts is also expected to deal with the uncertainty that has been stalking the players and coaches and officials implicated in the Asiagate scam over their fate.