{"id":1285,"date":"2013-03-31T20:44:44","date_gmt":"2013-03-31T20:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/south-africa-fifa-on-a-collision-course\/"},"modified":"2013-03-31T20:44:44","modified_gmt":"2013-03-31T20:44:44","slug":"south-africa-fifa-on-a-collision-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/south-africa-fifa-on-a-collision-course\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa, FIFA on a collision course"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South African sports minister Fikile Mbalula is on a collision course with world football governing body FIFA over how to handle a pre-2010 World Cup match-fixing scandal.<\/p>\n
Mbalula wants an independent inquiry headed by a retired judge to delve into a FIFA report that claims four warm-up games involving Bafana Bafana (The Boys) were fixed by corrupt Kenyan, Nigerien and Togolese referees.<\/p>\n
But the Zurich-based body feels this amounts to government interference — something it bitterly opposes — and believes the South African Football Association (SAFA) must investigate itself.<\/p>\n
“SAFA approached us saying it wanted a judicial commission of inquiry. Now some mischievous people wrote to FIFA saying we are interfering. SAFA cannot be player and referee,” insisted Mbalula ahead of a visit to Zurich this week.<\/p>\n
National football association president Kirsten Nematandani said: “The decision of the national executive committee is that we want an independent commission of inquiry.”<\/p>\n
Nematandani was among five SAFA officials temporarily suspended after a FIFA report said convicted Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Perumal arranged friendlies against Thailand, Bulgaria, Guatemala and Colombia and chose the referees.<\/p>\n
South Africa won three of the games and drew the other, and those against Guatemala and Colombia were marred by a series of dubious penalties awarded to the home team.<\/p>\n
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