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Cuthbert Dube in a stunning move had quashed reports issued earlier that 80 players had been suspended saying only three players were affected. He said Method Mwanjali, Thomas Sweswe and Nyasha Mushekwi were the only players suspended from national team duties for under-performing.
A day later Dube again issued another statement confirming the earlier position that all players mentioned in the Asiagate probe report were suspended from national team duties.
Mushekwi, former Caps United and now Mamelodi Sundowns striker’s case is peculiar in that he never participated in any of the Far East matches but his crime was a below par performance in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Cape Verde Islands which the Warriors lost.
“Mwanjali, Sweswe and Mushekwi’s performance in the last Afcon qualifier against Cape Verde Island was way, way below par. As Zifa president I can categorically state that these three players I don’t want to see them for the Burundi match,” Dube was quoted saying by our Harare bureau.
Zimbabwe plays Burundi in an Afcon 2013 qualifier in a mid week match at the end of this month. The declaration by the Zifa president seems to have irked the players’ representative body.
“It was unfortunate for Zifa to take that decision and players will now be scared to play for the national team because if they perform below par they will be labelled match fixers yet in a game of football it’s normal to be out of form,” said FUZ secretary-general Paul Gundani.
He called on Zifa to come out clean on the issue of Mushekwi because the decision to suspend him was demoralising players.
“As FUZ, we were very much and still are disappointed by those statements and the sooner the issue is clarified the better for the players especially Mushekwi,” said the former national team defence stalwart who played in the famed Dream Team under the late Reinhard Fabisch.
With 80 players already ruled out for selection for the match, Zifa could now be faced with the dilemma of players refusing to play for the national duty for fear of being banned or labelled sellouts in the event that they perform below expectations.