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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
WITH uncertainty as to when local football will return, CAPS United say they will provide safeguard measures for their staff, whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the year.

FIFA have urged clubs to protect players whose contracts have been affected by lockdown timelines.

“We will be engaging with the individual players, and other members of staff, to establish a common position that will safeguard all parties’ positions in the various employment contracts,’’ said CAPS United vice-president, Nhamo Tutisani.

“We will also be consulting with various stakeholders, including the PSL, ZIFA, FUZ, and possibly SRC, on the best way forward.

“But, most importantly, it will be a matter between the club and its employees.

“As difficult as it might appear, we remain optimistic that a solution will be found for the good of football.’’

The club brought in a number of players at the beginning of the year.

They could not register them all, to play in the top-flight league, and had resolved to loan some of them to Division One clubs.

However, the start of the season was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tutisani said the contracts dilemma has also affected the club’s five-year plan.

“The contracts are tailor made to suit the agreements arrived at between the club and individual players, therefore, there is no ‘one-size-fit-all contract’.

“We are now commencing, in earnest, discussions with our players to find a way forward.

“Fortunately, our restructuring of the team for the 2020 season, going forward, was based on a five-year planning horizon, given our commercialisation transformation programme.

“We will be largely guided by that thrust as we engage in these negotiations. However, the operating environment is not stable, and certain, making the planning process somewhat difficult.

“We will strive to take into account various factors in both the external and internal environment so that come implementation, we are not far off the mark,” said Tutisani.