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Rahman Gumbo

Tedious Manyepo Harare Bureau
REIGNING Premiership champions Chicken Inn are tomorrow expected to appear before the Premier Soccer League’s Disciplinary Committee on allegations of misconduct in a match they played against leaders FC Platinum on July 23 in Bulawayo.

The Bulawayo team stands accused of threatening match officials on the day before refusing to pay them the match fees.

“In terms of the Rules and Regulations of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League, you are alleged to have committed the act(s) of misconduct /offence(s) mentioned…on 23 July 2016 at White City Stadium, you allegedly threatened match officials and refused to pay match fees,” read part of the summons forwarded to Chicken Inn by PSL.

The match referee on the day Thomas Masaa mentioned in his match report to the PSL that after the match, Chicken Inn officials who include coach Rahman Gumbo and secretary general Tavengwa Hara told him point blank that he along with his assistants were not going to be paid their match fees alleging that they had been bribed by FC Platinum to influence the outcome of the game.

Masaa further told the PSL that Hara had threatened him that he would use his influence at Zifa to make sure that Masaa would not be deployed to preside over any soccer match again this season.

It is alleged that after the final whistle Gumbo reportedly claimed that the referee had been bribed by FC Platinum before Hara told the official that as the club’s paymaster he was not in a position to part with the match fees as an expression of anger on what the referees had done during the match.

Masaa further told the PSL that striker Obadiah Tarumbwa also insulted him using some unprintable words before threatening to beat him up.

“After the final whistle, Mr Rahman Gumbo, the Chicken Inn coach claimed that I (the referee) was paid by FC Platinum.

“Mr Tavengwa Hara said he is pay master (of Chicken Inn) and he said he was not going to pay us the match fee to show his anger which he did. He further said that, that was my last game of the season as he has more powers to do so as he sits on the Zifa board. He used unprintable words which I cannot repeat.

“Tarumbwa Obadiah, a Chicken Inn player, said he will beat me up as he fears no one to show that he was not happy with my officiating. His words were full of vulgar …” wrote Masaa to the PSL.

In terms of order 31 of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Rules and Regulations;

“It is an act of misconduct on the part of the club where:- It’s officials, players, servants or duly authorised (express or implied) representatives assault, threaten, intimidate, coerce, interfere, mislead, or insult a match official, player, official of the League, public, press or media, or any other person, before, during or after any match”