The Herald
Bt The Herald Reporter
31 October 2013
THE case in which Harare City chairman Leslie Gwindi is being charged with bringing the game into disrepute has been adjourned to Monday to allow the former Premier Soccer League secretary-general time to summon two witnesses key to his defence.
After a false start earlier this month when the hearing was postponed following claims by the accused that he had been notified of his appearance late, the matter finally got underway in Harare on Tuesday night.
Gwindi is facing charges of contravening the Section 4.1©, 4.2(f) and 4.3 of the Zifa rules and regulations 1996 which deals with “misconduct, betting, bribery, bad language and conduct likely to bring the game of football; into disrepute’’.
The charges arise from comments attributed to the former Dynamos secretary-general on his tour of Bulawayo in March.
It is Zifa’s case that:
“On the 8th of March 2013 at the Bulawayo Press Club meeting at Bulawayo rainbow hotel, Leslie Gwindi unlawfully and with intent to damage the reputation of the Zimbabwe Football Association board in particular and Zimbabwe football in general, committed an act of misconduct likely to bring the game into disrepute by using bad language and insulting the Premier Soccer League sponsors Delta Beverages (Castle Lager brand), the Zimbabwe Football Association board, the Zimbabwe National Senior men team coach Mr. Pagels and the Minister of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture Senator David Coltart’’.
In dragging Gwindi to the hearing Zifa contend that the Harare City chairman insulted the game’s chiefs, the PSL sponsors and former Warriors coach Klaus Dieter Pagels.
Pagels who had a brief flirtation as Warriors coach had been in Zimbabwe on a three-year government to government agreement working as the Zifa technical adviser through the Olympic Solidarity fund.
Zifa were infuriated by the comments attributed to Gwindi in the media following his address to the Bulawayo Press Club.
Gwindi is accused of having been quoted as saying:
“The leaders elected do not know anything about football and the current collapse is a result of total lack of leadership. The leaders (meaning Zifa board and councillors) are in football for egos, personal agendas or political reasons. Sound administration produces results. The problem with Zifa is because it has toxic leadership, which is poisonous to everything they touch,’’ read part of the statements.
Zifa charged that the statements were designed at disturbing the tranquil that was prevailing in the game.
“The statements were in fact intended to cause alarm and despondency so that the game becomes ungovernable much to the detriment of football in Zimbabwe.
“You insulted the Premier Soccer League sponsors Delta Beverages more specifically Castle Breweries by calling its sponsorship of the league peanuts and as a result of those irresponsible statements Castle Breweries have threatened to cancel the sponsorship deal it signed with the PSL.
“The statements were meant to scare away corporate sponsors from the game so that the PSL and Zifa leadership is seen in bad light by the football loving public’’.
Gwindi is also being charged for his alleged attack on Pagels and then Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Coltart.
“Further you insulted the Minister of Education, Sports Arts and Culture by claiming that he was not doing anything for football since his interest was in cricket despite the fact that Mr. Coltart has engaged the complainant regularly on football matters more specifically by holding an all stakeholders indaba in September 2012 which set the tone for a turnaround strategy for Zimbabwean football.
“The respondents’ utterances have put football into disrepute and militated against complaint’s (Zifa) current efforts to rehabilitate the game. The statements ridiculed the entire football leadership from the Area zones up to the Zifa board. Your conduct is unlawful and you had no right to act in the manner you didâ€, wrote Zifa.
Gwindi, who as in the company of his lawyers during the hearing however, argued that he wanted to summon two witnesses he believes are key to his defence outline.
However, Zifa seem to have also built their case on the grounds of communication from PSL chairman Twine Phiri in which he complained to the mother body over Gwindi’s conduct.
Phiri also signed an affidavit in which he noted that the league’s relationship with Delta Beverages had been affected by the statements attributable to Gwindi.
“I am the chairman of the Premier Soccer League having been duly appointed by the Premier Soccer League assembly.
“I recall sometime in March 2013, I read a newspaper article that related to the utterances or a speech made by the Harare City Football Club chairperson Mr. Leslie Gwindi during the Bulawayo Press Club gathering held at Rainbow hotel, Bulawayo.
“On a later date I received correspondence from the sponsors of the Premier Soccer League, Delta Beverages raising concern about statements attributed to Mr. Gwindi and they were threatening to pull out of the sponsorship citing that the PSL was not appreciating their sponsorship deal.
“Considering the fact that the utterances were bent on putting the game of football into disrepute, I contacted the Zimbabwe Football Association for directives.
“I can confirm that I have no personal vendetta against the Harare City chairperson and that the respondent’s utterances were very damaging in our relation with the corporate sector,’’ read part of Phiri’s affidavit on the matter. Gwindi had also argued that Zifa did not have the jurisdiction to try him on the matter and contended that the PSL’s disciplinary committee should have handled the case but Zifa maintain that as the football authorities in the country they were answerable to the kind of alleged attacks that the Harae city boss made on Pagels, the government and the game’s sponsors and leadership.