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Tadious Manyepo-Sports Reporter
CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League champions FC Platinum will be crowned at their Mandava home turf this afternoon under a cloud and there is a possibility they could still be stripped after Herentals formalised their complaint against them with ZIFA this week.
The Zvishavane miners host army side Cranborne Bullets in the last game of the season and they will receive their trophy soon after the lunch-time kick-off match.
The Premier Soccer League decided to bring the match forward by two hours to create enough time for the celebrations by a team which has won the league title for the fourth time on the trot.
But, the celebrations could be lukewarm given a cloud of uncertainty hanging over their heads after the Norman Mapeza-coached team allegedly used an ineligible player – Juan Mutudza – during the season.
The midfielder has a running contract with Herentals which expires at the end of this month.
But, he has featured in over 18 games for the champions prompting the Students, who severally attempted, in vain, to invite FC Platinum to the negotiating table, to issue an appeal with the ZIFA Player Status Committee.
Mutudza signed a four-year deal with Herentals in February 2018 and was loaned to Dynamos in 2020.
However, football was washed out by the Covid-19 scourge that year, prompting the two parties to agree on another one-year loan for the player.
The 23-year-old midfielder was supposed to revert back to his his parent club, Herentals, at the end of his loan spell in December last year.
But, DeMbare wanted to take him aboard for another year and courted Herentals to the negotiating table again.
As the Glamour Boys pressed for the talented midfielder’s signature, Mutudza signed for FC Platinum.
DeMbare, as per the country’s transfer rules, were asked to issue a clearance letter to the player who had joined FC Platinum without Herentals’ consent.
This forced the Students to engage FC Platinum demanding that they stop using the player.
Herentals secretary-general, Fainos Madhumbu, said FC Platinum, through their secretary Benson Virimayi even attempted ”to buy” Herentals’ silence by offering them a meagre US$2 000 cash and another US$1 000 payable in local currency.
Herentals refused to take the offer and instead kept on demanding that the miners stop using the player in their matches.
FC Platinum remained adamant though and that prompted the Students to approach the Premier Soccer League who in turn advised them to go and appeal their case with ZIFA.
And ZIFA told them to issue the complaint along with a payment of US$2 500.
Herentals, who maintain Mutudza is their player, consulted widely before settling the amount.
And on Tuesday this week, Madhumbu paid the fee to ZIFA who have since acknowledged receipt of the same to effectively open an inquiry on what really transpired.
Herentals have also forwarded their heads of arguments to the local football authority.
ZIFA, through their acting chief executive Xolisani Gwesela, have already written letters to the warring parties as well as to Dynamos requesting them ”to issue different documents concerning the player,” read the letter sent to Dynamos, FC Platinum and Herentals.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association acknowledges receipt of a complaint by Herentals Football Club with regards player Juan Mutudza, the Association hereby invites your individual clubs to submit the following to our office:
” 1. Contract of player
2. Transfer Details i.e Domestic Transfer Certificate
3. Any other information with regards the registration of the said player
”We look forward to hearing from you.”
There are so many technicalities which could nail FC Platinum and it will be interesting to see which direction the case takes.
Should FC Platinum be found guilty, they will not only be stripped of the title which they will be handed this afternoon, but they could as well get relegated in the event that they lose three points for every match that Mutudza took part in.
Mutudza has been key for FC Platinum’s push for their fourth successive championship.
He has decided so many games with his sheer brilliance.
Herentals are armed with the contract they have with Mutudza and that FC Platinum, at one point, even returned the player to his club as an acknowledgement to their being the owners of the player adds to the controversy surrounding this issue.
Those who are in charge of registering players at ZIFA could also be complicit with the suspected chicanery which possibly took place in the contested transfer.
Online Reporter