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Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
YOUTH, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Raymond Kazembe has said legislation is needed to protect footballers from all forms of abuse.
In a speech read on his behalf by his ministry’s principal director Benson Dube at the FIFPro African Division Congress that ended in Victoria Falls at the weekend, Kazembe called on African countries to domesticate a framework recently enacted by Fifa which seeks to penalise clubs that violet rights of players.
Kazembe said sport was underrated while players face various forms of abuse resulting in sport contributing less to the global GDP.
According to a 2016 FIFPro global employment report, less than two percent of football players on the African continent earn $720 000 per annum while more than 45 percent earn less than $1 000 per year.
“Abuse of players by support personnel as well as fans has become a scourge in the game with nine percent of players suffering from violence, eight percent being discriminated, 16 percent harassed and 41percent suffering from delayed payment due to dereliction of contractual obligations. Twenty-nine percent of transferred players are moved between clubs against their will,” said Kazembe.
“We as prime administrators of sport should ensure a safe environment for footballers. It is our outright yearning as the Zimbabwe Government to put in place interventions to maintain and sustain athletes. Fifa recently enacted a law that any club that violates rights of players should be garnished within three months and that’s a step in the right direction and we need to synchronise it with national laws across the African continent. I implore all countries in Africa and beyond to ensure that players’ rights are observed and protected,” he said.
Kazembe said conditions around players’ welfare during their time on the field have hampered their development as some have widespread inability to harness opportunities in the global workplace.
He praised Fuz for bettering conditions of Zimbabwean footballers and said hosting the FIFPro African Division Congress was a welcome development that confirms aspirations of the Sport and Recreation Policy, which deals with the welfare of athletes.
The congress discussed among other issues ways of improving the livelihoods of footballers, promote sport development and sport tourism.
PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele said Fuz, Zifa and PSL were working together towards coming up with standard player contracts.
He said there were 506 players in the 18-team Castle Lager Premier Soccer League and 80 clubs have participated in the topflight since the PSL inception in 1992.
Zifa spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela said the football governing body was concerned about players’ plight after retirement.
He said plans to establish a Dispute Resolution Chamber and a club licensing statute to protect players and provide arbitration and dispute resolution based on equal representation of players were now at an advanced stage.
“We encourage players to develop themselves by attending coaching and administrative courses for them to be employed after retirement,” said Gwesela.
FIFPro is the worldwide Players’ Union representative organisation for all professional footballers with a membership of 63 national players’ associations and more than 60 000 male and female players.
More than 20 African countries were represented by organisations responsible for the welfare of male and female athletes at the congress.
Zimbabwe was represented by Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (Fuz) president Desmond Maringwa, PSL and Zifa.
@ncubeleon
Online Reporter