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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
A DISCIPLINARY hearing for Highlanders midfielder Divine Mhindirira who is facing charges of being absent without official leave (AWOL) failed to take off yesterday after the player sought representation from the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (Fuz).
The 2021/22 season Soccer Star of the Year finalist has been summoned to appear before Highlanders’ disciplinary committee to answer charges related to him missing the team’s preseason training.
Mhindirira who has missed three full weeks of Bosso’s pre-season training was supposed to appear before a hearing at 10am yesterday.
Impeccable sources said the player approached Fuz yesterday before the hearing time and asked to respond to charges he is facing in writing ahead of today’s meeting.
The midfielder failed to report for medical examinations that were held on January 14 and 15 before Highlanders started their training on January 16.
The midfielder is being charged for breaching article 5 (a) (d) (g) of his contract;
“Failure to attend training sessions.
“Failure to carry activities as assigned to you by the club that is to say you failed to attend medicals.
“By failure to sections above you thus put the name of the club into disrepute,” read the club’s notification letter of the hearing.
The midfielder last week met with Bosso officials as he sought a way back into the squad after being absent without official leave (AWOL) but at that stage, the club had already made a decision to haul their best player from last season to a hearing.
Mhindirira who has a running contract which ends next year reportedly tried to leave the club on the basis that Bosso had failed to honour contractual obligations by not paying him part of signing on fee, with indications that Dynamos and Simba Bhora were among teams interested in the former Young Warriors midfielder.
In May last year, Highlanders announced “We are delighted to confirm that Devine Mhindirira (21 years) has extended his contract with Amahlolanyama up to June 2024.”
The midfielder who has been doing personal exercises to keep fit at a local gym has been suspended from club activities until the hearing.
Bosso spokesperson Nozibelo Maphosa said: “Divine has not started training with the team. The club is seized with internal processes before he is integrated into the squad.”
Fuz vice-president Herbert Dick, who heads the union’s Bulawayo office and is expected to accompany the Highlanders footballer to the hearing declined to comment. — @ZililoR
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