Players get raw deal

RUFARO DUGOUT1Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
THE Footballers Union of Zimbabwe and a number of Premier Soccer League clubs are headed on a collision course ahead of the close of the 2014 season amid revelations that the top teams have flouted contractual obligations they have with players.
A number of clubs either owe their players money or have reneged on contractual agreements and FUZ fear the situation could worsen in the coming weeks, given that there are only six rounds of matches to go before the curtain comes down on the Castle Lager Premiership programme.

It is FUZ’s concern that once the season ends, players find it difficult to track down their club executives to get what they would be owed.

With the domestic game still lagging behind in the implementation of the club licensing requirement in line with a Fifa directive, FUZ have suddenly found themselves seized with a number of cases that need urgent attention.

FUZ president Desmond Maringwa and the union’s secretary-general Paul Gundani have been on a whirlwind tour around the country trying to address the plight of local players, who have allegedly been short-changed by their clubs and lobby for amicable solutions.

Relegated Chiredzi, whose woes continued yesterday with the conviction of and sentencing of their coach Gishon Ntini by a Premier Soccer League disciplinary committee, have been cited by FUZ as one of the major culprits in violating the agreements they have with players.

Other clubs who have cases pending with FUZ include ailing Bulawayo giants Highlanders, who have been dragged to court by Warriors midfielder Masimba Mambare, Shabanie Mine and CAPS United.

FUZ are also worried by Zifa’s lethargy in putting in place the mechanisms that would make it mandatory for clubs to follow the club licensing requirements and help stem the growing problem of teams flouting contractual obligations and operating in an amateurish manner.

CAF have already warned their affiliates, including Zifa, that clubs that do not meet minimum requirements under the Club Licensing system risk being banned from taking part in the Champions League and the Confederation Cup tournaments next year.

The Club Licensing System was formulated by Fifa at their Congress in Munich, Germany, before the 2006 World Cup and is aimed at giving the game a more professional outlook.

Zifa, who are supposed to be issuing out licences to the local teams, are also expected to meet certain guidelines before they get their accreditation from Caf.

Under the guidelines, the clubs are supposed to meet certain requirements which include owning infrastructure like administration offices, employing qualified personnel to run their financial, marketing and media departments, developing sound junior teams, investing in training facilities and own stadiums for training and matches.

The clubs should also be in a position to produce audited accounts at the end of each year before they are issued with a licence.

With very little movement by way of meeting the Fifa and Caf requirements, even after the earlier target of 2014, local clubs have continued to operate in an amateurish fashion and FUZ yesterday said they were now bracing for some tough end-of-year battles with the teams.

“There are quite a number of cases of players being owed by teams that are being relegated or who might struggle to pay up once the season ends,” said Gundani.

“We note with concern that while the PSL is releasing funds to the clubs from the SuperSport deal or from tournaments, the players are not getting anything.

“For example, in the upcoming Mbada Diamonds Cup the format has changed but there will be something in it for every club yet players may not even be given a cent as the clubs claim they would have channelled the funds to other needs.

“But it is our belief that part of that money should be used to pay the players. We know that the money the clubs get from the PSL will not liquidate the clubs’ debts but it will help the players to get something since their livelihood depends on football.

“If, for instance, the PSL pays a club US$15 000, the money goes to the executive committee which will decide how to use it and in cases like the Mbada Cup or TM Pick n Pay Cup, where most of the clubs would not have actually played in the competition, the players do not seem to have a legal basis to claim that money.

“And, in the absence of properly licensed clubs, it becomes very difficult to have some of those funds channelled to player welfare.

“If they were actually playing they could demand 40 or 60 percent of the prize money.

“We have also noted that there is non-remittance of co-signed copies of contracts and players only look for those contracts when they have been terminated so as FUZ we believe the copies should be submitted to the PSL and we can, using our own resources, then distribute them to the respective players.”

Gundani said local sides also needed to take a cue from such clubs like English outfit Portsmouth, that converted to equity what they owed players.

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