Chicken Inn Players Surrender Phones Amid Match-Fixing Fears

Chicken Inn FC reportedly took precautionary measures to protect the integrity of football ahead of their Wednesday clash against Scotland FC, with players said to have surrendered their mobile phones 48 hours before the match.

The Bulawayo-based club is understood to have introduced the measure to protect its players from potential external influence and approaches that could compromise the outcome of the match.

A Chicken Inn player, who spoke to ZimNow Sports on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the entire squad had handed over their mobile phones two days before the encounter.

"Two days before the game, we surrendered our phones," said the player.

The development comes amid growing concerns over alleged match-fixing activities in Zimbabwean football, following the circulation of an audio recording containing allegations involving Scotland FC and Caps United.

In the recording, allegations emerged that an individual identified as Bridget, reportedly acting as a representative of the Mabvirarira, had approached Caps United goalkeeper Washington Arubi in what has been linked to alleged attempts to influence the outcome of a football match.

Although the allegations have not been independently verified, the incident has raised fresh questions about the vulnerability of players to approaches from individuals seeking to manipulate match results.

Chicken Inn's reported decision to collect players' mobile phones ahead of their encounter with Scotland FC could therefore be viewed as a precautionary measure aimed at limiting external contact and safeguarding the integrity of the game.