Zimpapers Logo

Petros Kausiyo

DOMESTIC Premiership outfit Yadah Stars have paid the price for their failure to comply with a FIFA disciplinary ruling and have now been banned from registering players internationally and on the national front. 

Yadah, who had been given until July 27 to pay the US$82 000 penalty for their botched contractual deals with three Brazilian players, have not complied with the FIFA order. 

This has given rise to the world body’s judgment, immediately coming into effect and it could now have severe ramifications on the Prophetic Healing Deliverance Ministries (PHD) owned club. 

Their continued failure to comply also means that Yadah’s bill, which must still be paid as compensation to the trio of Joao Pedro, Juan Luciano Faria, and Deivid Pereira de Brito have now ballooned beyond the initial US$82 000, which the club would have paid in June.

In handing down judgment on June 12, FIFA had warned Yadah that failure to comply would yield a ban from registering new players locally and internationally for three consecutive transfer periods. 

Yadah were then given a 45-day window to settle the penalty and when the deadline passed with Yadah not making any moves on the matter, FIFA in correspondence dated August 6 revealed that the penalty had now been effected. 

FIFA also directed ZIFA the local football mother body, to ensure the ban from registering players takes immediate effect. 

The world body in correspondence from head of disciplinary Americo Espallargas, also alerted the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe, who are a member of FIFPRO. 

“ . . . . We refer to the above-mentioned matter as well as to the Decision passed by FIFA in the matter ref. no. FPSD-14605 (the Decision),’’ wrote Espallargas. 

“In this context, it appears that, despite the Decision, the respondent, YADAH FC (the Respondent) has still not complied with its financial obligations towards Juan Luciano Farias (the Claimant). 

“In this regard, we wish to inform the parties that a ban from registering new players internationally has been implemented by FIFA.

“Moreover, and by the aforementioned decision, the Zimbabwe Football Association (in copy) is requested to immediately implement on the respondent the Club YADAH FC, if not done yet, a ban from registering new players at the national level. 

“We thank you for taking note of the above and for your valuable cooperation in this matter’’. 

ZIFA was furnished with similar letters citing the names of Pedro and Pereira de Brito. 

The penalties emanate from Yadah’s breaches in terms of the contracts they had entered into with the trio of Pedro, Faria, and Pereira de Brito. 

Ironically, Yadah staged a glitzy unveiling ceremony for the trio on July 14, 2023, with the club purring over their arrival, which was described as “marque signings’’. 

The deals then terribly backfired a year later leaving Yadah in soup. FIFA also indicated that the penalty would continue to attract interest as long as Yadah did not pay which means the figure which was US$82 000 at the time of the ruling in June has been increasing. 

Yadah was found guilty of offloading the Brazilians, without satisfying FIFA approved procedures. 

It is also not clear why the “Mircale Boys’’ as Yadah are also known, passed up the opportunity to even appeal against the FIFA ruling.

The South Americans, unhappy about the treatment they received from Yadah, took their matter to FIFA on May 10. 

Yadah reportedly terminated the players’ contracts a few months after bringing them on board but FIFA felt it was, “Without Just cause’’.

On June 12, a FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) ruled on the matter ordering Yadah to pay each of the three players “US$19 580, plus five percent interest per annum from April 4, 2024 until the date of effective payment’’. 

In a lengthy ruling, FIFA directed Yadah to pay the three players US$1 220 each for every month between November 1, 2023, to April 1, 2024, which is the period during, which the Mircale Boys did not meet their side of the bargain. 

More worryingly for Yadah and their legion of fans is that in terms of the FIFA and CAF Club Licensing tenets, and under the pillar entitled Financial Criteria, their continued failure to comply with the disciplinary ruling would also result in the Premier Soccer League being directed not register them for the 2025 season.

Ironically Yadah have in the last few months, enjoyed a purple patch in the local top-flight.

Former Zimbabwe and Mamelodi Sundowns talisman Khama Billiat has been at the heart of the Yadah resurgence, which he has spiced with nine goals to his credit to lead the club’s scoring charts. Yadah are 10th on the 18-team log table with 26 points from 22 matches. But they find themselves on the wrong end of the FIFA disciplinary standing with their decision to add a foreign flavour to their playing personnel, returning to haunt them.