Why ZIFA roped in foreign referees for CAPS vs Scottland clash

THE Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) made a surprise move by bringing in foreign referees to officiate the highly anticipated Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL) clash between CAPS United and Scottland FC at Rufaro Stadium on Thursday.

The decision came amid growing match-fixing allegations in the build up to the encounter, with concerns being raised over the integrity of the game.

ZIFA opted for a foreign officiating team, with Kenyan referees Peter Kamaku, Stephen Yiembe and Gilbert Cheruiyot brought in to take charge.

The move saw the original local officiating team, which was expected to be led by Thabani Ruzario as the centre referee, replaced shortly before kick-off.

Ruzario had initially been assigned to the match, with Polite Dube and Tofirei Phiri named as the assistant referees, while Tichaona Tigere was appointed as the fourth official.

However, the changes were made after the teams had completed their warm-ups.

The match eventually ended in a 1-0 victory for Scottland, handing the reigning champions a crucial win in a fixture that had attracted significant attention both on and off the pitch.

The decision to bring in foreign match officials was a notable intervention by ZIFA, given the intense scrutiny surrounding the encounter, following a leaked audio in which a lady only identified as Bridget was recorded attempting to offer a CAPS United player some money to influence the outcome of the match.

Thursday result saw Scottland reducing its gap with log leaders Hardrock to five points and a win over Chicken Inn in their game in hand will see them going only two points below the log leaders with only two games to go.

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