By Sports Writer
Zifa Central Region Soccer League chairperson, Patrick Hill says there are no sacred cows in the region and every team is treated equally.
This follows growing concerns amongst clubs in the Central Region over perceived favoritism of certain clubs particularly those in the title race.
The race for promotion is largely a two horse race between log leaders Sheasham and Hard Rock.
Sheasham are on 69 points, two more than the Kwekwe side, while Gwanda Pirates also have an outside chance, eight points adrift of the leaders.
On Wednesday, Hard Rock hammered Gokwe North 13-0 at the Nembudziya stadium, the margin of victory raised eyebrows with some suggesting there may have been under hand dealings.
To give context to the suspicions, Hard Rock owner Shepherd Chahwanda through his company Gold Metals Investments donated a playing kit to the Gokwe side earlier in the season.
A gesture that was also extended to Tongogara and Grain Tigers who all play in the same league as well.
This has triggered debate amongst fans and stakeholders over the integrity of the sport and fairness.
However, the central region chairperson appeared to absolve Hard Rock of any wrong doing.
“As a league we do not control the day today running of clubs, we do not know who bought the kit for who and we don’t go into the finer details,” he said.
“Are the kits branded as Hard Rock? So if it is the parent company that sponsors Hard Rock as well, we do not know their sponsorship policy
“It was going to be an issue if the kits were donated directly by Hard Rock and branded their name.”
According to the Central Region Soccer League competitions statutes article 4.1 states that, “A participant shall not, directly or indirectly, offer, agree to give, give, solicit, and agree to accept or accept any gift or reward or consideration of any nature which is, or could appear to be related in any way influencing the outcome or conduct of a Match.”
Player registration scandal
Hard Rock’s quest for promotion has been blighted with controversy amid allegations that they fraudulently registered and used a player.
The player in question is Ephany Gwawawa, who was at Dulibadzimu but was registered at Hard Rock using a different name.
At Hard Rock he was registered as Tanyaradzwa Godfrey Tsiga with a different date of birth altogether.
He played in the team’s 3-0 win against ZRP Gwanda at Baghdad stadium in August.
Hill assured the football community that the matter is under investigation and will not be swept under the carpet.
“The matter is under investigation,” confirmed Hill, “We have a complaint that formally came to our offices from ZRP Gwanda.
“We then followed up the matter with both clubs and went as far as withdrawing the player’s licence.”
He added:
“As I speak we are carrying out investigations because there are a lot of things that are involved in this case.
“It is a complex one, with a lot of legal implications and we have to go to other government departments to get certain information.
“But what I can assure everyone is that we are not in any way giving any team preferential treatment, any club found guilty of wrong doing will face the consequences.
“Our prosecutor is working hard to make sure the case is finalized before the last five or so matches of the season.”
If found guilty, Hard Rock risk being docked of three points which could be a serious body blow to their title ambitions.
