Fuz expands

Raymond Jaravaza
FOOTBALLERS Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) will soon incorporate female soccer footballers as part of its expansion programme.

FUZ has a strong male football playersa�� membership.

Part of the associationa��s mandate is to protect its members from unscrupulous employers, in this instance football clubs, negotiate contracts between players and clubs as well as mediate in contractual conflicts arising between its members and clubs.

The union is registered with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.

a�?We will start with a workshop comprising women football teams based in Bulawayo. The starting point is to basically carry out a survey to find out the concerns and problems affecting female football players and then move on from there.

a�?One of the problems that we noted as FUZ is that women football is run at amateur level in the various regions across the country so players are not entitled to remuneration and that is a cause for concern,a�? said FUZ president Desmond Maringwa.

FUZ members pay an annual fee of $5.

Bulawayo has an amateur women soccer league comprising teams such as Hearts of Oak, Inline Academy, Borrow Jets and Highlanders Royals. A number of schools that include Sobukhazi and Magwegwe High also take part in the league.

Last year FUZ was forced to intervene in disputes between players and clubs with at least 40 percent of the 16 teams in the Premier Soccer League being dragged to court for failing to meet contractual obligations.

The most notable dispute was the strike by Hwange players after the coalminers failed to react to various requests to pay its players.

The cash-strapped premier league cluba��s management had also reportedly not responded to letters by the union resulting in the strike which FUZ said was long overdue.

Former Tsholotsho FC assistant coach Sithethelelwe a�?Kwinji 15a�? Sibanda, with the assistance of FUZ, also dragged the club to the Labour Court for unfair dismissal.