adminRicky Zililo Sports Reporter
THE third edition of the African Nations Championship (Chan) gets underway today with the continent’s best players plying their trade in their local leagues battling it out in South Africa.
No doubt, the tournament has gone to be a fishing pond for scouts and foreign clubs as they hope to discover some gem at the competition.
As such, players as well want to impress with a number of national teams preferring to take along young players who they regard as future stars for their countries.
While the desire to move to better remunerating leagues is always tempting for players, not everyone will manage to attract interest from foreign clubs.
Most players in the Warriors squad are out of contracts and have put plans of signing for local clubs on hold, saying they will put pen to paper after the tournament.
Players like striker Charles Sibanda who Highlanders are interested in, Milton Ncube, Peter ‘Rio’ Moyo and Munyaradzi Diya who were with the Bulawayo giants are out of contracts and have said they will extend their stay at Bosso after the Chan competition, thus no team from South Africa or beyond ties them down during the competition.
Also out of contract from the Warriors set-up are Danny ‘Deco’ Phiri and Felix Chindungwe who were at Chicken Inn last season, goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube (Caps United) and Kudakwashe Mahachi who reports say has agreed terms with Mamelodi Sundowns but will be loaned to Zimbabwean champions Dynamos.
Dynamos’ players George Chigova, Augustine Mbara, Oscar Machapa, Themba Ndlovu, Partson Jaure who is also the national team skipper, Tawanda Muparati, Simba Sithole and Masimba Mambare who joined them during the New Year’s holiday have contracts with their club.
FC Platinum’s trio of Ali Sadiki, Nelson Maziwisa and Donald Ngoma as well as How Mine’s Simba Sithole have running contracts with their clubs.
With the bulk of the Warriors clubless since they are out of contracts, there is a danger that should they pick injuries on national duty very few clubs will be willing to get into deals with them.
Zimbabwe Soccer Agents chairman Omega Sibanda said greed has driven some players to go into the continental showpiece without laying a foundation for their future or life after Chan.
Sibanda said players and their advisors lacked wisdom in that they can return home only to find that the clubs which had wanted them have filled their slots.
He said players without contracts run a risk of signing for a song after the competition which ends next month.
“Obviously it is good that they are in the national team representing the country but there are issues to do with one’s future. In my view, I think managers of some of these players have ill-advised their clients because not everyone will make it for greener pastures. These players should have gone to Chan having their future secured locally and if they feared that their clubs might stand in their way when they want to move, they should have included clauses within their contracts setting terms, should there be other offers outside.
“I think greed clouded their judgment and I still insist that pre-contracts should have been signed,” said Sibanda.
Players like Johannes Ngodzo and Desmond Maringwa had their careers cut short by injuries aggravated from national duty.
Footballers Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Paul Gundani said they have approached Zifa on numerous occasions challenging the national association to offer insurance for national team players without club contracts.
Fifa rules stipulate that it is the club’s responsibility to treat a player injured on national duty.
However, the Chan tournament is not recognised by the world soccer body.
“Injuries occur and they are like accidents because they happen without anyone intending them to happen. That is why we are saying Zifa should offer contracts to players whenever they report for national duty highlighting issues on injuries and players’ conduct on duty. These contracts protect both parties but our bias is on the welfare of players for they survive through soccer.
“There should be an insurance policy for players on national duty and it is Zifa’s responsibility to make sure that players are legally protected,” said Gundani.
Zifa spokesman Xolisani Gwesela said all the players had contracts but could not be drawn into commenting on the insurance matter.
“Every player in the Warriors set-up has a contract but on the insurance I have to find out from the chief executive officer because according to Fifa statutes clubs adopt the medical bills for players injured on national duty.
“However, since you have highlighted that there are some players who are not attached to clubs at the moment, I will seek advice from the CEO and get back to you,” said Gwesela.
He ended up travelling to South Africa to join the Warriors in Cape Town without responding on the insurance matter.
Warriors Final Squad
Goalkeeper: George Chigova (Dynamos), Munyaradzi Diya (Highlanders), Tafadzwa Dube (Caps United)
Defenders: Augustine Mbara (Dynamos), Hardlife Zvirekwi (Caps United), Oscar Machapa (Dynamos), Felix Chindungwe (Chicken Inn), Themba Ndlovu (Dynamos), Erick Chipeta (Hwange), Patson Jaure (Dynamos, captain)
Midfielders: Milton Ncube (Highlanders), Pasca Manhanga (Triangle), Peter Moyo (Highlanders) Danny Phiri (Chicken Inn), Tawanda Muparati (Dynamos), Masimba Mambare (Dynamos), Ali Sadiki (FC Platinum), Kudakwashe Mahachi (Chicken Inn)
Strikers: Charles Sibanda, Donald Ngoma, Nelson Maziwisa (all FC Platinum), Simba Sithole (Dynamos), Simba Sithole (How Mine).
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