‘Fifa Zim suspension doesn’t affect players movement’

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
FOOTBALLERS Union of Zimbabwe president Desmond Maringwa has dispelled fears that Fifa’s suspension of Zimbabwe from international football prohibits player movements to foreign teams.

Maringwa, a holder of a Fifa Diploma in Football Law and also a FIFPro Africa board member, encouraged players to focus on excelling on the field of play, while officials continue with lobbying for lifting of the suspension.

There were concerns that some local footballers like on-fire Dynamos forward Bill Antonio, who has attracted interest from Belgium and is reportedly due for trials later this month, could see his dream move to Europe affected by Zimbabwe’s suspension from international football.

Maringwa said the suspension simply means Zifa will not be getting any Fifa funds and cannot participate in regional, continental and international competitions as well as friendly matches during the suspension period.
Zimbabwe will also miss out on the annual cash injection from Fifa.

Fifa president Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino told delegates at a congress held in Doha, Qatar, last week that each member state will now be getting US$8 million in a four-year period.

“In terms of movement, the players are not affected. We had Leeroy Mavhunga moving to Botswana when the country was already on suspension. Unless it is mentioned in the suspension letter that players can’t move, player transfer rules are binding.

“In the case of Bill Antonio, he can go for trials and can be signed by another club. Remember, players have no say in decisions that have happened and they are very much affected in the sense that they can’t participate in major tournaments where they can get exposure,” said Maringwa.

This means players likely to move are those whose agents have strong links with foreign clubs and can organise trials based on data and videos sent to prospective teams.

Maringwa said Fuz has been trying to get the suspension lifted by engaging Fifa, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) as well as Zifa to find “common ground”.

Fuz’s main concern is that the suspension is affecting future generations that have already lost at least two years without participating in junior competitions.

“We always believe a roundtable involving all the parties, the SRC, leagues, councillors and players will be good in terms of finding lasting solutions.

So much has happened in the past and we don’t want to dwell much on that, but imagine upcoming talent that we might lose because the Under-15s, Under-17s, Under-20s and Under-23 national teams can’t get exposure playing regional and international games.

Even senior players at peak are being denied opportunities to play the continental and international tournaments.

This is bad for the future of players who need that exposure,” Maringwa said.

He pleaded with everyone involved in the football crisis to have sober minds and speedily deal with the problems, as they are affecting players. -@ZililoR