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ON Tuesday, March 11 Chronicle Sport published a story that Highlanders FC striker Milton Ncube will follow his teammate Peter “Rio” Moyo out of the club during the midseason transfer window for greener pastures in South Africa. The two players have open contracts with the Bulawayo giants and according to sources, they did not get signing on fees when they extended their stay at Bosso last month.
Developmental side Luveve Big XI, who were in the Bulawayo Junior League which is owned by Amin Soma-Phiri, have exclusive rights for the players and will profit from the deals.
Highlanders will not get a dime from the sale of the two players who have in the last two seasons formed the backbone of the team.
Moyo has already agreed terms with Mpumalanga Black Aces while Ajax Cape Town and AmaZulu are favourites to land Ncube’s signature.
The duo’s possible departure has been met with mixed feelings with a handful of Highlanders supporters taking a swipe at the club’s officials who negotiate player contracts as well as Bosso’s legal advisers who they believe slept on duty.
Below are some of Highlanders’ followers reactions to Ncube and Moyo’s departures:
Faith Silandulo Dube: I don’t understand why Highlanders is cutting such deals. You take a relegated player, they come and take advantage of your big brand and you get nothing out of it! In 2006 we won the Championship; Vusa Nyoni, Honour Gombami, Tapiwa Kapini all our key players left and sasala sibambe iziboya nje. I thought that was the end, but when you see such open contracts as they are called, you wonder if we ever learn from our experiences. While the idea to assemble a strong squad is noble, it defies the whole logic when you get nothing from player movements. Some players come to Highlanders with careers literally on comatose and after resuscitation the Club gets nothing. Hell NO!!! I think the Board at Highlanders must be active and take keen interest on issues like player contracts, junior development and other critical areas concerning the Club because they are always at Highlanders. Lokhu vele akuyenzi. My question is, which league do you find Big XI?
Robert Ndlovu: Akula news lapha kuyini okutsha ngokuthi a CHAN star will end up in SA. People have indeed time in their hands to worry about trivialities. Players come and go Bosso remains.
Mqondisi Malunga: The issue is not about people coming and going but about signing amacontract that do not benefit the club at all! Milton was offloaded by Motor Action, Highlanders resuscitated his career, now he is on top of his game sehamba mahara . . . ngumbhedo lowo!
Agrippa Nyoni: Individuals come and go Highlanders will remain, but on this case the people who negotiated on this deal messed up.
Patrick Ncube: This now raises the question of what kind of contracts our new recruitees signed, hope they’re not open contracts too. Better to steer clear of such contracts than to be left high and dry like this.
Faith Silandulo Dube: Personally I find the one year deals a big concern for me. For the first time in ages we have a sponsor bankrolling signing on fees, you sign a one year deal! It will be very difficult to extend some of these one year contracts when some of the players will be on demand elsewhere. Some opportunistic Clubs and Agents have found their good fishing pond at Highlanders. This is a bad administrative precedence. Something doesn’t add up, but these boys were free agents in December, we were owing them signing on fees and could have joined Dynamos briefly ukubophanisa iExecutive and fans imisila. I have been in this game for some time but I don’t understand this deal. A player for example like Rahman signed three years, when he moves Bosso will benefit something and Bosso pays the same salaries and winning bonuses the same way they do with Rio and Milton and they get nothing when they move. Is it about negotiations or there is something amiss in the deal. Someone noted that, every time there is something like this there is a former son or member involved. They know the weaknesses of the institution. Umuntu nje owokuza engesaba lokwenza into enjalo.
Tshepo Mabalane Mabalane: I think it is not only Bosso facing this situation. The whole league could be held to ransom by chancers. Zifa, PSL and the Ministry of Sport need to call for Imbizo. Something is seriously amiss. But from my limited knowledge of Fifa statutes something is illegal here. We should have the Tevez/Mascherano case as a reference point.
Beke Ngoma: And am told a relatively young Josta signed a one-year contract he will revive his career @ Bosso and move on for free again.
Nodumo Nyathi: Peter Dube and Tapela playing with our minds . . . in Agm or after there was no mention of loaned players . . . how come if players signed for Bosso one year contract can we not benefit . . . I am not in football administration but a fan kodwa lodoti ngiyaqala ukuyizwa . . . kukhona okungamadili- lana . . .this is a rip off by Bosso not by Big Eleven
Terrence Nyoni: Lay the BLAME squarely on the Executive, and “the buck” stops at the Executive Chairman’s desk! He has a lot of explaining to do! To be honest, tasking, with due respect, the negotiation of players’ contracts with Tapela and Sibanda was a big mistake! You needed someone with a legal background and a full appreciation of Fifa football statutes regarding soccer players’ contracts! Luveve Big Eleven should have used their players to gain promotion into PSL and not as an investment vehicle with exclusive use of the HIGHLANDERS football brand! Kunuka u ASIA-GATE lapha baFethu! As a way forward, what is our way forward? That is a question to be answered by the BOARD now, including putting the Executive to the sword???????
Isaac Mbedzi: Lapha madoda maybe sesihlanganisa izinto ezinengi. Nxa kuliqiniso ukuthi kunjalo then the people responsible for negotiating contracts labafana are not doing it in good faith. There is absolutely no way ukuthi players can come play for a team, get the advantages on wages okumelwe azuzwe ngabazimiseleyo to give back to the team kubesekuthiwa iqembu alizuzi lutho unless nxa lisithi they boost ama sales ama replicas ?
Patrick Ndlovu: Who are the owners/agents/facilitators of most of our player movements, is it not some of our so-called legends, our former players, employees or executive members. Just dig deeper and find out who was behind Oba, Honour and Vusa’s moves to Belgium and who was behind Zeph, Josta’s moves to FC Platinum and who is behind this Rio/Milton deal. I think there are people who are exploiting the loopholes that they have seen within the Bosso set-up. A clearly defined Recruitment Policy is the answer to this.
Tse Ndex: Normally players come from somewhere, like schools or clubs and the source of these players get paid for their part in developing the players depending on the ages. These players seem to be coming from a defunct club and their status may need verifying by Fifa Player Status committee. It is not anyone who should be representing these players to Bosso, but agents, lawyers, parents or spouses of these players. Anything else is illegal and should be null and void. Bosso should not be duped. I am a great advocate for players improving themselves and moving on even if they were key to Bosso. My second point: Traditionally, even if Highlanders is a people’s team, there is a lot of secrecy about many things and the excuse is protecting the team from thieves and unscrupulous people, which is commendable but in that secrecy, that is what happens. There must be reasonable access to info on matters that don’t compromise the club, the team and the game.
Xolani Ndlovu: Can someone shed light on the function of the club’s legal advisors that the members ratify at every AGM. Umsebenzi wabo ngowani and whose interests do they represent when the club is left to sign poisonous contracts? Unless of course the legal advisors are not even consulted when it comes to player contracts and negotiations.
…We can’t keep quiet when our team suffers because of ineptitude. And the team suffers because of lack of qualified leadership. What can you expect when you get a plumber to fix your electrical fault? At Highlanders, the only position held by a person qualified for it is the treasurer’s post. The rest depends on who is more popular regardless of ability, meaning it’s just politics. Anyone who knows the Fifa statutes will know that a player can only be represented by a registered agent, a parent, spouse or a legal practitioner. Anything else is just gangsterism and a football person will know that, or will at least go out of their way to find out what is correct before signing with gangsters. Running a football club is a full time job and we need to find a way as a club to fix our flawed system from which all these issues are emanating from.
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