PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
FIFA, SA square off over match-fixing scandal
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) - World soccer's governing body, FIFA, and the South African Government are on a collision course over allegations of match-fixing in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup.
FIFA has summoned South African Football Association (SAFA) president Kirsten Nematandani to its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, to address the matter, but the meeting was cancelled on Thursday.
The meeting was to have been attended by Nematandani, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke and FIFA’s lawyers.
Mbalula was quoted to have said at the weekend that he would travel to Zurich to meet FIFA in an attempt to convince it to allow him to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of match-fixing involving Bafana Bafana matches before the 2010 Soccer World.
FIFA views government intervention in football matters as interference and an attempt to set up a judicial commission of inquiry would not be viewed in a positive light by the governing body.
The world soccer's governing body has argued that the matter should be dealt with by the country's football authorities.
The scandal led to the suspension of five high-ranking SAFA officials, including Nematandani and acting Chief Executive Officer Dennis Mumble, after they were fingered in the FIFA report which was released in December. They were later reinstated.
The report claims that several South Africa friendly matches against Eastern European countries were fixed by betting syndicates.
-0- PANA CU/SEG 4April2013
FIFA has summoned South African Football Association (SAFA) president Kirsten Nematandani to its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, to address the matter, but the meeting was cancelled on Thursday.
The meeting was to have been attended by Nematandani, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke and FIFA’s lawyers.
Mbalula was quoted to have said at the weekend that he would travel to Zurich to meet FIFA in an attempt to convince it to allow him to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of match-fixing involving Bafana Bafana matches before the 2010 Soccer World.
FIFA views government intervention in football matters as interference and an attempt to set up a judicial commission of inquiry would not be viewed in a positive light by the governing body.
The world soccer's governing body has argued that the matter should be dealt with by the country's football authorities.
The scandal led to the suspension of five high-ranking SAFA officials, including Nematandani and acting Chief Executive Officer Dennis Mumble, after they were fingered in the FIFA report which was released in December. They were later reinstated.
The report claims that several South Africa friendly matches against Eastern European countries were fixed by betting syndicates.
-0- PANA CU/SEG 4April2013
