Richard Mazodze, owner of the Eastern Region Soccer League (ERSL) leaders FC Wangu Mazodze, has been implicated in a match-fixing scandal allegedly involving his team.
Mazodze, who is based in the United States and has expressed interest in running for the ZIFA presidency, is accused of breaching rule 14.1.3 of the league’s regulations.
It is alleged that a phone number linked to Mazodze was used to contact players from Triangle United and Chiredzi Stars to influence match outcomes involving FC Wangu Mazodze and those two clubs.
According to an ERSL charge sheet dated October 1, 2024, seen by Soccer24, FC Wangu Mazodze is scheduled to appear before the league’s Disciplinary Committee this Saturday. Part of the charge sheet reads:
“On September 16, 2024, the Eastern Region Soccer League received a formal complaint from Triangle United Football Club, accusing FC Wangu Mazodze, through their representatives Simbarashe Mukaro (also known as Wexman) and Provide Murozvi (also known as Fox), of infiltrating Triangle United players in an attempt to manipulate the match result between the two teams.
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This was evidenced by WhatsApp messages posted by NYC using a number (+1 646…) allegedly belonging to the club’s owner and sponsor, Mr. Richard Mazodze.”
Additional WhatsApp messages surfaced on September 26, 2024, alleging that a similar approach was used when FC Wangu Mazodze faced Chiredzi Stars at Chishamiso Stadium.
Following that match, Chiredzi Stars’ officials and supporters reportedly assaulted the referee, accusing him of match-fixing. FC Wangu Mazodze chairman Trevor Chateuka was mentioned in the WhatsApp messages shared by NYC using the same phone number in question.
The behavior of FC Wangu Mazodze, its officials, and the involvement of both club owner Richard Mazodze and chairman Trevor Chateuka, were deemed to violate principles of fair play, ERSL regulations, and the rules of the game.
What further concerns the complainants is that FC Wangu Mazodze has not distanced itself from or condemned the circulating messages, despite being aware of them.
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