Zimpapers Logo

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Acting Sports Editor

A medical doctor who has previously worked with Zifa has asked the association to facilitate for the release of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan results for the Under-17 national team so as to demystify growing suspicions that coaches might have wrongly relayed the outcome.

The doctor was speaking after one of the six players dropped due to being ‘overaged’ disputed the results and was supported by his parents. Claivert Tshuma, from Hwange, was dropped alongside five other youngsters who are yet to be named by Tshuma’s mother Sylivia Maphosa did not take the decision likely and accused the coaches of swapping the results to accommodate their preferred players. The players never saw the physical results but were told by word of mouth by the coaches.

According to documents presented by the parents, Tshuma was born on January 21, 2004 at Victoria Falls hospital.

“The pressure must be on seeing the results, the names of patients are imprinted on the CD or film o the results and no radiologist would want to swap results. From experience, the boy’s date of birth for a November scan can show someone to be over 17 years. No other evidence except a repeat scan if you suspect swapping will solve the puzzle. If birth records would work, Fifa, Caf, Cosafa would not have asked member associations to do expensive scans so the issue now lies with having results for everyone and if indeed there was such an unethical swapping of results then it will backfire spectacularly,” said the doctor who asked not to be named for professional reasons.

Meanwhile, a doctor at Victoria Falls hospital Fungayi Misinami-Mvura has written a formal letter of confirmation that Tshuma was born at the hospital on January 21, 2004 weighing 3010grams.

“This letter confirms that on the 21st of January, 2004, Ms Sylivia Maphosa delivered a live boy infant birth weight 3010grams at Victoria Falls hospital. I do hereby confirm that we have record of this birth and the hospital number is 60/04,” reads part of the letter by Misinami-Mvura.