Three soccer referees accused of match fixing were each sentenced to four years or a fine of R16 000 by the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, police said.
Senior Superintendent Selby Bokaba said assistant referees in the first division, Patrick Banda and Ishmael Mzwandile Fatyela, and referee Justice Lungile Dywili were arrested during Operation Dribble.
”When we started we were ridiculed, but today court’s decision indicates that the aim of our investigations was nothing else but to root out unscrupulous elements besetting professional soccer in South Africa.
”There are other related cases still pending in various parts of the country and we hope that those courts will arrive at a guilty verdict,” Bokaba said. – Sapa