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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS Football Club will be wiser in the future not to blindly enter into agreements that would leave the club susceptible to manipulation by club owners, player agents and players.
The club said it would rather be deprived of good players if having them will prohibit the club from making money.
Clubs are business entities out to make money to grow their brands and not a grooming ground for other people’s players said Amahlolanyama chairman, Peter Dube. He told Chronicle Sport yesterday following a storm over the imminent departures of the Warriors duo of Peter “Rio” Moyo and Milton Ncube to South African sides that the “mistake must never happen again in future.”
“It is a huge learning curve for us as an institution but again that should never ever happen again.
“I must state that formally we have not been told that those boys are leaving us in June. It’s an open-ended arrangement,” said Dube.
He, however, confirmed that Moyo and Ncube were not given any signing on fees.
The two players are owned by Zifa Bulawayo Division Two side Luveve Big 11 which is owned and coached by former Highlanders player and manager Amin Soma-Phiri.
There has been a storm within the Highlanders family on why the Mbada Diamonds Cup holders agreed to terms that will see stars Ncube and Moyo leaving the club without any dime going Highlanders’ way but instead Soma-Phiri smiling all the way to the bank.
On why in the first instance the club decided to go against members’ resolution that no player should be signed for less than one year, Dube said he was not aware of such a resolution although he said he stood to be corrected.
“I am not sure whether there was such a resolution but I stand to be corrected.
“What I remember is that members expressed their concerns on the club signing players for one year or less but in any event if a good player you want comes but says he will pen a year’s deal, what can you do?” asked Dube.
There have been two documents, the first drafted by former chairman Kennedy Ndebele when he proposed that all players must have a minimum of three years contract with negotiations for contract extension starting with 18 months remaining and if the player refuses to co-operate, he then must be sold.
The second was a strategic document drafted by Nicholas Nyathi under the Ernest Sibanda regime in 2006 which stipulated that Highlanders shall not sign players for less than 18 months.
The one-year contract issue has also reportedly irked the Highlanders board of directors with last night’s joint board and executive meeting expected to have been dominated by the subject.
Clubs have in recent times opted for one year contracts with most players demanding on an average $5,000 as signing on fees.
Online Reporter