• PROMOTION-chasing Forest Rangers shape up during a morning training session at Dola Hill Stadium in Ndola yesterday, ahead of their crucial home tie against relegated Nkwiza on Sunday. Picture by MOSES CHIMFWEMBE

By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
PROMOTION chasing Division Three side Afrisports has written to the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to investigate possibilities of match fixing by Young Power Dynamos.
Afrisports director Gabriel Kaunda said he was prompted to write to Football House after watching the match involving Power Dynamos youth side, Young Power Dynamos against Mufulira Mine.
Kaunda said that he watched the game that lasted 68 minutes with the worst suspicions of match fixing involving their rivals as the race to win promotion reaches its climax.
The FAZ Division Three Copperbelt League is led by Zamtel, who won promotion at the weekend after amassing 57 points while the one last promotion slot is being contested for by second placed Afrisports on 53 points and Young Power on 51 points with a game remaining for the end of the season.
Kaunda said while his side went to play a tricky away match to Kalulushi Zebras, he was shocked to learn that Young Power, who should have travelled to play Mufulira Mine, were instead playing the match at home against the same Mufulira side.
“This prompted me to watch the Young Power game instead of going with my team and it was shocking to see the first-half lasting just 40 minutes. The half time break lasted just five minutes with the game tied at 2-2 but then Young Power scored twice in the second-half and exactly 24 minutes after the break, the referee blew for the end of the game,” Kaunda said.
Kaunda said that action should be taken on why a referee could play a league game for 64 minutes while the rest the teams in the world play 90 minutes.
“I also want to know who paid for Mufulira Mine’s trip to Kitwe because if they could organise money to make the trip, then they could as well have used that money at home.
“I also want to know who paid for the transportation of the referees from Mufulira to Kitwe and how much they were paid because Mufulira referees should have been paid home fees but to officiate in Kitwe means an away fee was paid.
“I want answers because this is suspicious at this crucial stage of the season,” he said.
When contacted, Young Power secretary Stanley Mwenya refused to comment as the matter had already been reported to FAZ and would want to wait for formal communication.
Kaunda said his executive was answerable to sponsors who had set targets and he would not want to see such investment risked by such suspicious activities.
He suggested that at this stage of the season, FAZ should be sending match commissioners to matches that had a promotion factor for the game to be kept clean.
Afrisports is a team that produced some of Chipolopolo’s finest players like 2012 CAF African Footballer of the year finalists Rainford Kalaba and Stopilla Sunzu, besides Jacob Mulenga, Emmanuel Mbola and Chris Munthali.