admin
Lawrence Moyo
Head Zimpapers Sport
YADAH now have the player with the biggest profile in the domestic Premiership having scooped Khama Billiat from the noses of Manica Diamonds who came close to signing the former Warriors star.
Dynamos, who were tipped to win the signature of the player, dropped out of contention when they could only offer to pay a US$20 000 signing-on fee in two batches.
Billiat’s camp wanted it all at once.
Manica Diamonds were ready to pay that amount at once in a package that included a US$3500 monthly salary and a winning bonus of US$500.
However, Yadah won the battle, thanks to the relationship between Billiat and Prophet Walter Magaya’s son and the club’s partner Scott Sakupwanya.
The 33-year-old poster-boy is joining them as a free agent after refusing to renew his contract at Kaizer Chiefs where he had played between the 2018/19 and 2022/23 seasons.
Yadah are taking Billiat on a one-year contract.
There were dramatic scenes at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport when Billiat arrived.
Yadah chairman, Everson Chatambudza said speculation that they would send Billiat to Dynamos was wrong.
“We do not have any plans to send him on loan and it doesn’t make sense actually that we win a battle to sign him and then send him elsewhere. We do not have any arrangements with Dynamos on Khama,” said Chatambudza.
Yadah chief executive, Admire Mango said loaning Billiat to a local club would only have been possible had he been signed on a long-term contract.
“It does not make sense to pay so much money on a player whose long-term future is subject to fitness and then loan him to Dynamos or any other local team without recovering the money. If you look at all those players who are sent out on loan after signing contracts, the key is the duration of the deal.
“It happens with players that would have signed four to even six-year contracts whereby the club believes in the talent but would rather allow the player to improve in certain aspects of his game while active elsewhere.
“But that falls away when you have a one-year contract. It’s either we have use for him or we don’t sign him at all and we signed him because we intend to use him.
“He will play at Yadah and that is why he will be unveiled tomorrow; we couldn’t do it tonight (yesterday) because it is a holiday.
“Otherwise Yadah cannot unveil him at a function, giving him a Yadah kit and then send him out on loan.”
Online Reporter