MUKWIMA CHILALA Writes
A FORMER Zambia national team striker, who was convicted for match fixing in Finland, has revealed that the crime is rife in the local league.
In an interview, Nchimunya Mweetwa disclosed that the vice is more rampant among teams that are in relegation zone.
Mweetwa disclosed that matches are mainly fixed when officials of other Clubs approach and offer money to mostly football players and sometimes coaches who in turn feature weaker players to lose matches.
“The way match fixing operates in our game is, if for example team A is at a level of getting relegated, the team will approach and offer money team B so that team B deliberately loses the match,” he disclosed.
He further revealed that even during his playing days in the Zambian super league, there were games that he was involved in fixing, a vice he regrets committing after being convicted and given a suspended sentence in Finland in 2012.
Mweetwa observed that the crime exists to this day despite him and other former players having served as an example, adding that there are some games that show that they are clearly fixed.
“I watch games in which you can even tell that the players are playing below par to lose. There is an element of loss of form but some games are clear that they are fixed,’’ he said.
He disclosed that his ‘Yes to Clean Sports’ foundation has been conducting workshops against unethical conducts in sports and has received overwhelming response.
Mweetwa further paid tribute to Zambians sports administrators for their willingness to fight unethical conduct.
“So far we have good support from the powers that be. They have also been preaching against vices in sport and Director of Sport in the Ministry of Youth and Sport Bessy Chelemu is on record in one of the interviews warning against match fixing, which is a good step,’’ he said.
