HARARE – Harare giants Dynamos have been sucked in a major bribery scandal involving Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) side TP Mazembe and the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) is set to institute investigations.

Dynamos, who are in the same group with the TP Mazembe in the Champions’ League Group A, travelled to DRC last week and had their airfares paid for by hosts’ team owner, Moise Katumbi. It is reported that Dynamos’ expenses were  paid for by the wealthy Congolese businessman.

Zimbabwe’s representatives in the Champions League went on to lose 2-1 to TP Mazembe in a game which is now being viewed as having been compromised.

After the match, all members of the Dynamos delegation who travelled to Congo were paid $1000 each by Katumbi while they brought home another $50 000 as “incentives” for the club to win their match against TP Mazembe’s rivals, Esperance at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday.

If Dynamos win against Esperance, it means that TP Mazembe will need a draw in Algeria against Entente Settif to win the Group. Dynamos are already out of the Champions League.

Some Dynamos officials who are unhappy with the cash “gifts” from TP Mazembe yesterday convened an emergency executive meeting where the issue of the funds donated to Dynamos was being discussed.

Dynamos chairman Farai Munetsi is reportedly angry with the donations from TP Mazembe as he did not approve the cash payments from the DRC millionaire. The Dynamos chairman is viewing the cash handout as bribery.

Munetsi told journalists yesterday that he received a call from an unnamed Dynamos official informing him of the handouts but the executive in Harare was non committal. The executive was still deliberating in Harare when officials who travelled with the team accepted them money.

A Zifa official who spoke to Radio VOP said: “This is a clear case of bribery and we are looking into it. How can a team receive assistance from rivals in the same group. It does not make sense and we will make sure we get to the bottom of it.

“It’s like hearing that Manchester United have been given financial assistance by Real Madrid yet they will be playing in the same group,” said the Zifa official.