An organisation called Fair Football Africa has contacted several European clubs and warned them against signing Zimbabwean footballers, especially Mamelodi Sundowns forward Nyasha Mushekwi. 

Mushekwi is one of many names linked to the recent Asiagate scandal in Zimbabwe, which has seen many players banned and fined for their part in the match-fixing scandal that rocked the country.

A statement from the organisation, which was formed in 2011, explained their motives. They said, “We are delighted to inform you that our organisation, Fair Football Africa, recently formed to lobby against soccer match-fixing and corruption involving players and administrators has been successful in alerting various football stakeholders, including Fifa and European leagues/clubs about the need to ban the signing of corrupt soccer players from Zimbabwe involved in the shameful Asiagate scandal into European clubs for at least one year until Fifa resolves the issue.

Fair Football Africa also went on to explain that they have specifically targeted Sundowns’ striker, Mushekwi, due to the fact that he is said to be in hot demand around the world.

They went on to say, “In the case of Mushekwi, we have written to some European clubs that might want to sign him against their actions, for the sake of integrity and professionalism and the feedback is encouraging. The player we argue must remain at his South African club Sundowns, which has curiously decided to renew the contract of another match-fixing offender, Method Mwanjali their former captain. This sends out the wrong signal to would be offenders, since they can always be exonerated for business reasons, of which football is a billion dollar business itself. We are also pursuing other cases in South Africa and Nigeria following football mismanagement reports about the respective countries football associations.”

The organisation, that is run by soccer agents, former players, coaches and administrators, say that their sole objective is to preserve discipline in the game.