FIFA bans Zhoya, Zimbabwe's chief referee, for sexual harassment

September 2 – A former Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) official has been suspended for five years by FIFA and fined CHF 20,000 for sexually harassing three referees.

The FIFA Ethics Committee has banned Obert Zhoya (pictured), who was general secretary of the ZIFA Referees Committee, finding him guilty of 'abuse of position'.

Zhoya's suspension begins immediately and he will be notified of the reasons for the decision within 60 days.

"After a careful analysis of the written statements of the victims as well as the various evidence gathered during the investigations carried out, the adjudicatory chamber was comfortably convinced that Mr. Zhoya had violated [three articles] of the code of ethics", a statement on the FIFA website says.

Zimbabwe were banned from the game in February due to government interference and the latest punishment came after the ZIFA board was suspended by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) appointed by the government of the country in November last year.

Alleged sexual harassment of referees was one of the main reasons cited by the CBC for suspending the board, and the case against Zhoya is the first to be decided.

Allegations of sexual harassment against Zhoya were first reported by local media in Zimbabwe in September 2020, but it was not until the alleged victims reported the allegations to the police, in December 2021, that an official investigation has been opened.

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