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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
HERENTALS have sensationally claimed FC Platinum attempted to buy their silence after offering to pay the Students US$2 000 and another US$1 000 payable in local currency in a desperate bid to keep midfielder Juan Mutudza.
The latter is at the centre of a wrangle between the two Castle Lager Premiership football clubs.
Mutudza still has a running contract with Herentals that expires at the end of next month.
Mutudza has been one of the key pillars in FC Platinum’s push for a fourth successive league title but the Zvishavane club might find themselves demoted from the league should Herentals successfully prove before ZIFA that the player belongs to them.
That would mean three points will be deducted from the miners in each of the over 15 games that Mutudza participated in.
Yet the Students did not rush to file complaints with PSL and ZIFA.
They instead tried to engage FC Platinum from the time Mutudza joined the miners early this year.
The 23-year-old player had been with Dynamos for the past two years, on loan from Herentals and at a time he was supposed to be reverting back to his parent club (Herentals), he decided to go to FC Platinum.
Herentals wrote to FC Platinum for about eight times.
And in one of FC Platinum’s responses, the team is alleged to have offered to pay US$2 000 plus US$1 000 to be settled in local currency for Mutudza’s services.
Herentals refused the offer, saying they wanted FC Platinum to first stop playing Mutudza in their matches.
“After they offered to pay us US$2 000 cash and another US$1 000 in local currency, we refused to take that since we wanted them (FC Platinum) to first stop using a player they know is not theirs,” said Herentals secretary-general, Fainos Madhumbu, yesterday.
“They acknowledged the player was ours yet they kept on using him without our consent.
“That is the reason we refused to take their offer. We first wanted them to stop using our player so we could start the negotiations. They remained adamant and then we refused to take their offer.”
The “bribe” offer, according to Madhumbu, was made in writing but he could not immediately get hold of the correspondence since he was not in office yesterday.
FC Platinum secretary-general, Virimai Benson, professed ignorance on the matter.
“You have already written the story and there is no reason why I should be able to comment on it. I don’t want to confirm anything as you have already written the article,” he said when contacted by The Herald yesterday.
“You are supposed to get in touch with our club spokesperson (Chido Chizondo). I am also sure she told you yesterday (Tuesday) where we stand as a club.
“Don’t you know the role of our club spokesperson? Get in touch with her and you will know our position.”
Chizondo said her club has no comment on the issue.
“As alluded to in our previous conversation, we have no comment,” said Chizondo.
Herentals have since written to the ZIFA Player Status Committee seeking justice.
They have been told to pay US$2 500 for their case to be heard and Madhumbu said they were ready to settle the amount.
In another correspondence to Herentals dated 27 April 2022, Virimai admitted Mutudza was not their player and he had been cleared by Dynamos, an allegation Dynamos have since denied.
“We acknowledge receipt of an unsigned letter on the Herentals College Football Club letterhead dated 27th April 2022 regarding Juan Adrian Mutudza. In the letter you allege that we never bothered to act on your letter of 10th March 2022,” wrote Virimai in the letter.
“Firstly, we acknowledged your letter via an email on 14th March 2022 wherein we requested for the signed contract for our appreciation… We even suggested that once we have a copy of the signed contract, we are prepared to discuss a loan arrangement with your club.
“Secondly, the player was returned to your club whereupon he approached the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) who engaged your team’s secretariat. Thirdly, we had a discussion with Mr. Madhumbu (Fainos) and FUZ wherein it was pointed out that Juan (Mutudza) had signed an agreement to pay Herentals College FC a portion of his signing on fees should he move away from your team and the player promised to pay you once he receives his signing on fees from FC Platinum. That is when he returned to FC Platinum. Prior to that, I had written an email to yourself on 25th March 2022 requesting that we conclude this case before the closing date of the transfer window, but I did not receive any response.
“We are open to an amicable solution to this impasse, but we can only do this from an informed position.”
Mutudza has played a key role in FC Platinum’s good run which has seen them being within just a point of winning the league title with four matches still to be played this season.
In addition to Mutudza, FC Platinum managed to keep their squad from 2019 intact and they also flashed out old horses who were mostly failing to get starting berths at the team.
They also re-signed Walter Musona who has been in terrific form of late although he started the year slowly.
Online Reporter