AfricaPress-Tanzania: YOUNG Africans have strongly condemned the arrest and questioning of their chief administration and technical advisor Senzo Mazingisa for match-fixing allegations against traditional rivals, Simba.
In the official statement issued on Thursday, the club, through its website saw the arrest and questioning a breach of the football code that wants all football matters handled by football authorities.
In anguish, the Jangwani Street club feared the move would tarnish the image of the club and the Tanzanian football, which is rapidly developing.
The South African, Mazingiza appeared at the Oyster Bay Police Station to record statements over the allegations.
According to Edward Bukombe, the Police Special Zone Commander, Mazingiza was taken for questioning at Oyster Bay Police in the city and was later released.
The South African was requested to present himself there so as to shed more light on the match-fixing allegations.
“It is true Senzo came for purposes of giving his side of the story but he was later let free,” Bukombe was quoted by Kiswahili sports newspaper, Mwanaspoti. “He was questioned by the investigative department who are yet to give the feedback of the process to me up to now.”
Although the police are yet to confirm why Mazingisa was specifically questioned, Yanga have confirmed the match-fixing allegations were made against their official.
“Young Africans are shocked and disappointed by the events that occurred yesterday [November 11] where our club official was taken in by the authorities for alleged match-fixing,” Yanga said in the club’s website.
“Circumstances leading to these revelations are disappointing and are an indication of malice intent, planned strategy to tarnish the image of our club, our official name and to put Tanzanian football into questioning. “We strongly condemn the actions of the perpetrators of the propaganda.”
“We hereby assure our fans, members, sponsors and stakeholders that Young Africans will cooperate with the relevant authorities dealing with this matter. “We are also in support of the code that states all football matters should be held by football authorities.”
Though Simba have said nothing about it, the disputes might be sparked by Simba’s losses to Tanzania Prisons and a few days later to Ruvu Shooting, both were Premier League matches. The two consecutive defeats saw Simba part ways with the team manager Patrick Rweyemamu and the goalkeepers’ trainer Muharami Mohamed.
The move to leave Simba and join traditional rivals Yanga is understood to have developed more friction between the most successful Tanzanian clubs.
As Mazingiza moved to Yanga, former Orlando Pirates winger Bernard Morrison moved in the opposite direction and Yanga are still contesting circumstances that the Ghanaian signed for Simba.
The Morrison issue has not been fully settled up to this point and the new matchfixing allegations may end up creating more friction between Simba and Yanga.
Yanga hosted Simba in the last match before the international break, a game which Morrison missed due to a three-match ban, where a 1-1 draw was recorded at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
Still, Yanga remain unbeaten in the 2020/21 season though they sit second to Azam after playing 10 matches.
