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The Zimbabwean soccer terrain is awash with stories of football players that did not end so well and some whose stories have been paused due to contractual disputes and failure to understand contracts.
It would appear almost every season, there is one or more contract problems that prejudice players. Of course, players are not experts when it comes to the laws of contracts since theirs is to play football.
However, in this age of so-called managers and agents of players, some of these problems that befall players should have been a thing of the past by now.A� We have witnessed tugs of war between clubs over playersa�� signatures and varying interpretations of the same contracts.
In some instances players have been forced off the field for whole seasons as disputes drag on between clubs and at times between players and clubs. We have seen the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe step onto the scene in recent years.
This is quite a commendable move to represent the interest of players.
However, we feel players are sometimes impervious to advice or never see the importance of contractual advice when promised huge sums of money by clubs.
It is only when what was promised is not delivered that the players approach bodies that they should have consulted in the first place for them to get a fair deal.
As preparations for the new PSL season gather momentum, there has been significant traffic and exchanges between dressing rooms and our guess is that some players will get good deals while some will get themselves entangled in contracts that they may never wriggle out of even when offered better deals elsewhere.
Players need to realise that their careers are quite short and that it is only for a few years that clubs will be interested in their services hence the need for them to make the most of those years.
There is also the issue of player representatives that should give sound advice to the players and not just be concerned about their commissions.A� We need competent advisors that analyse their playersa�� contracts so that when they eventually sign they are assured of a good deal.
It is our hope that past cases of contractual disputes have made our players wiser and that the outstanding disputes shall be quickly resolved to allow players to get on with their business a�� playing football.
While it would not be proper to prescribe contracts, we believe it is the duty of football authorities to empower footballers when it comes to their rights.
After all, the lofty positions that they occupy are because of the toiling footballers whose skills draw crowds to stadiums to generate revenue.
Clubs are seldom found at the losing end in many of these deals, though they also need to be alert without necessarily preying on the ignorance of their employees a�� the players.
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Online Reporter