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Raymond Jaravaza, Sports Correspondent

FIFA will sanction and punish more individuals implicated in the female referees sex scandal; the journalist who first broke the story believes.

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, a senior reporter with Chronicle, who first exposed the sex scandal that rocked local football in 2019, is of the opinion that more layers of the rotten onion are yet to be peeled off.

Moyo was the first journalist to lay bare the ‘sex for game time and promotion’ scandal that involved members of the Zifa Referees Committee.  Female referees were allegedly coerced into sex in return for match assignments by some members of the Zifa Referees Committee.

 Those who did not consent were allegedly side-lined for match assignments or passed over for promotion.  In some instances, according to the aggrieved female referees, the match officials were asked to travel to hotels specifically arranged for sex escapades.

 FIFA last week, after months of investigations into the allegations, suspended Zifa Referees Committee secretary-general Obert Zhoya for abuse of power.  He was slapped with a US$20 000 fine and a five-year suspension from all football related matters.

 “I have no doubt that more perpetrators will soon face the music, make no mistake about that. FIFA’s wheels of justice may seem to turn slowly but they indeed do turn as we have seen with the sanctions slapped on Zhoya.

 “By the way Zhoya is a small fish in this whole scandal, by people who chose to prove their sexual athleticism on poor female referees.

FIFA

 “What is also interesting is that FIFA does not only frown upon those who violate ethical statutes but even those who turn a blind eye when such cases are reported to them. We know that these ladies informed some members of the Zimbabwe Referees Committee as well as the Zifa executive committee presidency but nothing happened so we may as well expect a blood bath from FIFA,” said Moyo.

 Does he feel vindicated that FIFA has finally acted on the abuse allegations? Some of the alleged perpetrators of the sex scandal even threatened to sue Moyo, in his personal capacity, after the expose.

 “Like the victims, I am certainly a happy man that justice has finally landed. I know that there could have been some who thought perhaps we were on a vendetta especially with the seemingly quietness from FIFA but it’s now clear the expose was nothing personal but a clarion call for justice,” he said — @RaymondJaravaza