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THE Footballers’ Union of Zimbabwe has warned players against rushing to sign contracts they do not understand and urged them to seek advice from qualified people.
FUZ vice-president, Hebert Dick, said his organisation is worried that most clubs are duping players by not giving them proposed contracts to study before signing.
Dick said the union’s offices in Harare and Bulawayo remained open for members and urged players that will be negotiating new contracts to visit them for tips.
“The problem is that we face similar cases every season and that is not good at all. What we’ve realised is that our members or rather players rush into signing deals that they don’t understand, with some clubs telling players that the contract document cannot leave their offices. As a union, it is our duty to ensure that we defend our members so they are treated fairly”, said Dick.
He said it was important for players to ask for time to study and consult on the provisions of the contract before signing it.
“The problem is that most clubs lie to players by telling them that the contracts they sign have to go to zifa and PSL to be stamped. That is a blatant lie because once one signs a contract, that becomes legally binding and clubs must release a copy to the player immediately after signing. We have seen cases of contracts being manipulated after the player has been told that the document is being sent to ZIFA,” he said.
The former Zimbabwe international said about 90 percent of PSL and Division One clubs negotiate in bad faith and called on ZIFA to step in to guard against exploitation of players.
He said some PSL teams even promised players residential stands, which do not materialise.
“We’ve appealed to both ZIFA and PSL to punish clubs that make false promises. We have cases of players that have signed contracts after being told that they will get stands and up to this day they are yet to get the stands. It seems the desire to own houses has made players vulnerable and what we’re saying is that if a club says it will buy a player a residential stand, they must state the timeframe within which they will do so. If the contract is about money, let the club commit when it will pay so that we don’t face the same old cases over and over again,” said Dick.
The former Amazulu and Highlanders’ defender, who also had a stint in Poland, said most cases involving breach of contracts by clubs hindered players’ movements during the transfer window.
Dick said instead of players concentrating on playing football, they end up being distracted by trying to sort out contract challenges.
He said FUZ is planning to hold workshops next month aimed at educating members on how to negotiate a contract.
Online Reporter