Sport' suspended!
MBABANE – The National Football Association of Swaziland (NFAS) has suspended FIFA Education Officer Zwelonke ‘Sport’ Dlamini for his referees’ bribery comments.
The retired whistleman is currently at home pending an internal inquest on the comments he made about certain referees having lengthy conversations with team officials.
Acting FA CEO and Second Vice President Welile Mabuza confirmed the matter yesterday. He said the decision was only meant to continue with an internal inquest.
“It is true that he has been suspended. As an employee of the organisation we had to send him home while we prepare an inquest on the matter in preparation for disciplinary measures,” he said.
He said Dlamini was furnished with all detail pertaining to the suspension, which he (Mabuza) could however not divulge.
Dlamini was not in his office when this publication sought his response and when called he refused to comment on the matter.
“If they have told you about it let those people comment, I won’t say anything at the moment,” he said.
The latest comes after FA CEO Frederick Mngomezulu had announced that the matter was being dealt with at administrative level. There were already indicators that the former referee could be suspended for his utterances regarding certain referees taking bribes.
Making the matter very sensitive was the decision by referees to mandate the Referees Committee during their workshop two weeks ago to approach the FA on the allegations by Dlamini that shocked the country’s football landscape.
He alleged that certain referees were having lengthy conversations with certain clubs’ officials ahead of games and warned that at this stage of the season, the whistlemen had to make sure that they handled games in a very responsible manner.