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Ricky Zililo Sports Reporter
A month after losing 0-3 in the final of the Mbada Diamonds Cup to Highlanders, How Mine players are yet to receive their share of the proceeds of the competition. This is despite the fact that the club received their $90,000 losing finalists’ prize money from the sponsors through the Premier Soccer League.
According to How Mine players, the club had agreed before the start of the tournament that the players would get half of the prize money with the other bit going to the club’s coffers.
The players claim that the club officials told them that the Premier Soccer League management and the sponsors Mbada Diamonds had delayed in releasing the money to How Mine.
However, yesterday Chronicle Sport established through the Premiership chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele, that Mbada Diamonds Cup funds were released to clubs a fortnight ago.
Even Highlanders’ players confirmed that their club had paid them their Mbada Diamonds Cup share before Christmas.
“All the clubs’ dues from all competitions have been paid with the teams that were in the Mbada Diamonds Cup final that is Highlanders and How Mine receiving their $130,000 and $90,000 respectively two weeks ago. The only money which the clubs got late was for the Castle Lager Premiership but it must be noted that as I speak to you, the clubs have received their dues,” said Ndebele.
In separate interviews yesterday, How Mine players said they are disappointed with their leadership which has not been truthful.
“We are yet to get our share of the Mbada Diamonds Cup and the club is quiet as if there is nothing wrong about it. First, they told us that the sponsors had not released the money to the league who were in turn supposed to deposit the money into How Mine FC’s account.
“Later, the story changed and we were made to believe that the monies were still held up at the PSL only to get the shock of our lives when we heard our compatriots from Highlanders telling us that they had received their share,” said a player.
Another player said they had to rely on their December salary which they received on the 18th.
“In terms of us getting our salaries, we would be lying to say we received them late but it would have been good to get the proceeds from the Mbada Diamonds Cup so that we combine it with the salary and buy something meaningful. As it is, we have left everything to fate and we will have to hear from the club. Maybe they have decided to keep everything to themselves,” said an agitated player.
A senior player at Highlanders said, “We were paid our bonuses for the Mbada Diamonds Cup before Christmas and right now we are looking forward to league bonuses.”
Repeated efforts to get comment from How Mine’s chairman Mlondolozi Nkomo were fruitless as his mobile phone rang without being answered.
How Mine will be representing the country in the Caf Orange Confederation Cup and they will not want to have a group of disgruntled players for the continental showpiece. The gold miners will open their account with a home tie against Zanzibar’s Chuoni FC on the weekend of 7-9 February with the return leg taking place a fortnight later.
How Mine benefited from Highlanders’ ban from continental football and they are yet to engage Mbada Diamonds through the PSL to find out whether the diamond company will be bankrolling their African Safari adventure.
Mbada Diamonds had made an undertaking to subsidize the country’s Caf Orange Cup representatives with the $110,000 that they had set aside to cater for playing kits as well as travelling expenses.
Online Reporter