Zimbabwe spy charged with extorting football boss

HARARE (AFP) - A Zimbabwean intelligence agent has been accused of demanding $10,000 from the head of the scandal-plagued national football association to protect him from assassination, state media said Wednesday.

Richard Mubaiwa, a member of the Central Intelligence Organisation, appeared before a Harare magistrate's court Tuesday on extortion charges together with farmer John Chari, The Herald newspaper reported.

Mubaiwa, 31, is accused of calling Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) boss Jonathan Mashingaidze and telling him he had a file showing he was targetted for murder for his role in suspending more than 80 players involved in a match-fixing scandal in Asia.

Chari is accused of acting as intermediary. Police said they arrested him when he met Mashingaidze to receive the protection money.

Former ZIFA chief Henrietta Rushwaya sent the national team to play unsanctioned friendlies two years ago in Thailand, Syria and Malaysia, where a betting syndicate allegedly fixed the results.

Rushwaya was fired in 2010 and has been charged with bribery and corruption.