(Last Updated on September 2, 2022 by zimdaily)
HARARE – FIFA has banned Obert Zhoya from all football-related activities for five years after finding him guilty of sexually harassing three female officials. Zhoya, who is the former Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Football Association’s referees committee, carried the offense in 2020 when he was still in office. The allegations were reported to the police in December 2021 and FIFA launched a formal investigation.
Zhoya has also been fined 20,000 Swiss francs (£17,600) after an investigation by Fifa’s independent ethics committee.
“The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has banned Mr Obert Zhoya, former secretary general of the referees committee of the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) from all football-related activities for a duration of five years, after having found him guilty of abusing his position to sexually harass three female Zifa referees,” read a statement from Fifa on Thursday.
“Upon careful analysis of the written statements of the victims as well as the various evidence collected during the investigations conducted by the investigatory chamber, the adjudicatory chamber was comfortably satisfied that Mr Zhoya had breached art. 23 (Protection of physical and mental integrity), art. 25 (Abuse of position) and, by corollary, art. 13 (General duties) of the Code of Ethics.”