adminNetherlands this week.
Maringwa and the union’s secretary-general Paul Gundani are currently in Amsterdam where they joined stakeholders and representatives from around the world to celebrate the opening of the new FIFPro House yesterday.
The FUZ leaders are hoping to meet FIFPro president Leonardo Grosso, the organisation’s secretary-general Theo van Seggelen and the FIFPro Division Africa secretary-general Stéphane Burchkalter, before they return home tomorrow.
FUZ administrator, Chiedza Gadzirayi, said they will brief their superiors on the progress made in the on-going Asiagate saga and the general state of players’ welfare in Zimbabwe and the region.
Gadzirayi said the FIFPro leadership wanted more information Asiagate saga, which has affected several players who were implicated in the match-fixing scandal, given they have a direct route to Fifa leaders. FUZ have been playing an observer role in the matter and were also advising the players to make sure their interests were protected.
Gadzirayi said FIFPro are hoping to take the matter up with Fifa when they world football body congress convenes at the end of this month in Mauritius.
A total of 53 players and four officials have been exonerated from the scandal.
Some have been pardoned, while others had their bans wholly suspended upon payment of fines ranging between $1 000 and $3 000.
“Maringwa and Gundani left yesterday (Sunday) and they will be meeting the FIFPro leadership to discuss the conditions affecting players in Africa. They will also bring up concerns particularly on how players were charged in the Asiagate scandal.
“It appears there were many loopholes in the process; for instance there was no proper citation of cases, poor communication and no hearings took place. So this is going to be part of the international discussions they will have.
“We have since sent a detailed report to FIFPro detailing how the cases were dealt with. As you know FIFPro is an observer to all Fifa activities and am sure they will table the Asiagate concerns at the congress,” said Gadzirayi.
She said FUZ are delighted with the developments taking place within their mother body following the completion of their complex.
The new FIFPro office building opened its doors for business yesterday.
“FIFPro has been looking forward to this moment. The worldwide representation of approximately 60,000 professional footballers moves into a new home approximately 300 metres away from its previous office in Hoofddorp, near Amsterdam Airport, The Netherlands.
“It might be a small move, but for FIFPro this is a huge step. FIFPro used to rent its previous office, which had limited space and reception possibilities.
“Now, the players union has its own three-storey home which is much bigger, will offer working space for both staff and visitors, is equipped with modern facilities (such as a video conferencing system to communicate with all 50 FIFPro member unions worldwide), and includes a modern auditorium with 150 seats,” said a statement from FIFPro.
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