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Ngqabutho Moyo Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Football Association disciplinary committee has acquitted six Black Rhinos Queens players who were charged with attacking a referee at Rufaro Stadium in July. The players were arrested for allegedly assaulting referee Mercy Maimbo alleging that she had caused their defeat to Bulawayo’s Inline Academy.

Through their lawyer, the players made an application for stay of prosecution as the proceedings against them were brought after seven days of the alleged offence which is in contravention of Section 4(2) (g) of the Zifa rules and regulations which gives a seven-day grace period.

Msekiwa Mbanje, the prosecutor conceded that Zifa had indeed brought charges against the six players Rutendo Makobe, Kudakwashe Basopo, Eunice Chibanda, Jocelyn Elijah, Tariro Makumbe and Rufaro Machingura after the permissible seven-day period.

The football motherbody’s rules and regulations do not provide for a remedy once one fails to comply with the seven-day period.
Therefore the disciplinary committee saw no reason why Zifa failed to live up to its own statutes, in seeking justice for the six players and acquitted them.
Miriam Sibanda, the Zimbabwe Women’s Football League chairperson said the ruling was a wake-up call for his association and there was need to fulfil their goal of drafting their own constitution so that they could also be able to deal with such cases on their own.

According to Sibanda, the soccer players are now cleared to resume their league games with the army side.
Machingura gained notoriety with her kung-fu like lunge at Maimbo.