‘Kayipa, Chirambo cleared’
Flames fringe defenders Bongani Kayipa and Douglas Chirambo are leaving a sigh of relief after reportedly passing a recent doping test which the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) agents subjected them to in January in Blantyre.
The right back Kayipa and left back Chirambo, who each have some six Flames’ caps, yesterday confirmed in separate interviews that Wada sent them through e-mail results giving them the all-clear.
“Of course, I was nervous when undergoing the urine tests, but I was never in doubt that I would come out clean. Both of us tested negative. I don’t use drugs and I do not smoke. I cannot claim to know players who smoke, but if there are any I would advise them against doing that. If I had tested positive, I would have been banned from football for two years,” Kayipa explained.
It was Kayira’s first test, but a second for Chirambo who admitted that he was surprised at being always the target. Chirambo was a few years ago tested during a Cosafa Youth Championship in South Africa.
Wada Africa region director Rodney Swigelaar yesterday in a telephone interview from his Pretoria, South Africa office was unable to corroborate the players’ claims.
“I am not aware of the athletes you are talking about as this was done by Wada agents, so, I suggest you talk to Oscar Kanjala,” Swigelaar said about Kanjala, who leads the local anti-doping agenda, but could not be reached yesterday.
Sports director in Ministry of Youth and Sports Jameson Ndalama, who also represents government in the local anti-doping fight said Kanjala or FAM could have the details.
“The results are confidential and we are yet to be told. The players were tested as individuals and not as a team. The tests are routine and they belong to three categories such as out of competition testing, in competition testing and athletes whereabouts such as the one involving the two footballers,” Ndalama explained.
FAM general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda yesterday said the doping test was not to do with football, but Olympics. Former Flames doctor Matthews Mangondo was Wada’s link person in tracking the players at their Blantyre homes for the tests but he could not be reached yesterday.
