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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
MORALE is low at Harare City ahead of the restart of domestic football.

The players at the Sunshine Boys yesterday boycotted the first day of training, unhappy over unpaid signing-on fees and low salaries. Players, who spoke to The Herald yesterday also alleged the club owed them four months’ salaries for the months between January and April this year.

The players accused their employer of breaching the contracts they signed.

“Everything is not well at our team. The money is not coming as it should be. Some of us haven’t been paid our signing-on fees for last year,’’ said a player who chose not to be identified.

“Nothing has been paid again this year.

“What is even worse is that the salaries that we signed up for have been eroded by inflation, and the employer is not making any efforts, to review the remuneration.

“It’s sad that we cannot afford basic, with the kind of salaries we are getting.

“After paying rent and other utility bills, you are left with nothing for food, clothing and school fees for our kids.

“Right now we don’t know how we are going to manage the bus fares since the money is not enough.

“We have been getting $26 000 since May. But, before that, we had not received our salaries, between January and April.’’

The players alleged they had an upward review, from $8 000 to $26 000 per month, in May. The team was scheduled to start training yesterday, but a number of players did not turn up. Club chief executive Tafadzwa Bhasera, confirmed the players were owed by the club. She also said she was informed there was a low turnout which affected their first day of training, yesterday.

“The honest truth is that the club is aware of the money that it’s owing to the players,’’ said Bhasera.

“We all know that we have been operating under difficult conditions and clubs have been handicapped, of late, since there was no football being played.

“Nothing was moving, in terms of revenue generation, but the club has been doing everything possible, to try and address the welfare issues, of the players under the conditions.

“There was a time when the employer skipped paying the salaries, because of changes that were happening, at the top.

“This was out of our control.

“We do understand where these players are coming from but if you ask them they will tell you that we haven’t missed payment, since we started putting in place the efforts, to settle whatever, they are owed.

“As for the salaries, eroded by inflation, there is nothing much that we can do to control the forces of the economy.

“The club, however, is obligated to pay players what they are supposed to get in terms of the value, and we are working to address that. “The players are our assets and we value them.’’