LIBREVILLE: FIFA president Sepp Blatter will take advantage of his attendance at the closing stages of the African Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to hear a first-hand update on the Zimbabwe matchfix scandal.
Cuthbert Dube, president of the Zimbabwe Football Association, has confirmed he and chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze will meet Blatter at the general assembly of the African Football Confederation.
Mashingaidze said: “Dube will touch base with Ashford Mamelodi (FIFA southern region development officer) before he meets Blatter on Asiagate and the general state of football in Zimbabwe.”
No decision has yet been taken over the future of ZiFA national coach Norman Mapeza although he is expected to be replaced temporarily by technical director Klaus-Dieter Pagels to prepare a rebuilt squad for the start of the 2013 Nations Cup qualifier at the end of the month.
Zimbabwe are due to play in Burundi with the home return in June.
The challenge for ZiFA is that 81 players have been suspended in the corruption scandal including more than a dozen internationals.
Former chief executive officer Henrietta Rushwaya, who was responsible for arranging the matches in the south-eastern Asia which prompted betting-linked corruption inquiries, was arrested last Friday by the Anti-Corruption Commission for alleged corruption and bribery and is expected to appear in court shortly.
Dube, a member of the organising committee of the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil, has appealed to FIFA for a $2m provision to to clear debts and refinance the association.
The association has been taken to court by a local travel agent for failing to settle a $209,000 debt and wants the headquarters in Livingstone Avenue and the ZiFA in Mount Hampden to be attached as part of the debt recovery process.
Dube said last week: “FIFA is sending a financial consultant here and they have since advised us that it’s part of the process aimed at advancing us what we require. The consultant will be coming in the next two weeks and he will look into our debts and since we had asked for US$2 million they can go back and decide on how much they can help us with.
“They have been encouraged by our efforts so far and they share our vision for football in this country, so we are confident we will finally get the help and make a fresh start.”