SUSPENDED ZIFA CEO Henrietta Rushwaya has been banned from ZIFA offices countrywide and ordered not to communicate with CAF and FIFA as a probe into an Asian betting scandal deepens.

Rushwaya has been fingered as the nexus of a scandal involving rich betting syndicates in Asia who organised matches involving Zimbabwe and countries like Malaysia, Oman and Syria.

It is feared the results of the matches – which Zimbabwe lost heavily -- may have been pre-determined, leaving the syndicates to clean up at the bookies.

In a statement issued on Wednesday night, ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube said: “The ZIFA board met on July 24 and unanimously resolved to suspend the ZIFA chief executive officer, (Ms) Henrietta Rushwaya, with immediate effect.

“The decision has been necessitated by alleged acts of mismanagement and the serious irregularities surrounding the national team’s trip to Asia in December 2009.

“The suspension is to facilitate the ZIFA probe team to carry out, among other mismanagement issues, investigations over alleged match fixing, betting and bribery surrounding the national team’s trips to Asia in December 2009.

“This is also against the background that there have been allegations of undue interference and influence on some of the witnesses who are key to this investigation.

“The ZIFA board is determined to get to the bottom of these issues and will endeavour to do the best it can to ensure that the administration of the game of football in Zimbabwe is not brought into disrepute.

“To that end, the ZIFA board will work closely with the Zimbabwe Sports and Recreation Commission, COSAFA, CAF, FIFA and other relevant parties to address its challenges.

“The ZIFA board is not, and will not be perturbed, by any moves aimed at either pre-empting the investigations or defeating the course of justice.”

Dube said during the suspension, Rushwaya is barred from visiting ZIFA offices countrywide; interfering with the probe committee led by ZIFA vice president Ndumiso Gumede; interfering with witnesses “more particularly but not limited to, national team players, ZIFA employees and former and current board members” as well as from “interacting or otherwise communicating with COSAFA, CAF and FIFA.”