TP Mazembe, CAPS in player row

why the duo cannot be released to turn up for CAPS United.
Nyandoro and Semakweri have been in the country since the start of the year during which they sealed deals to play for CAPS United.
But the former Warriors players have had to ensure a frustrating wait before resuming their careers after it emerged that Congolese giants TP Mazembe are insisting that Nyandoro and Semakwere are still contracted to them and would have to meet certain conditions before they can be released to play for CAPS United.
Efforts by the players and their manager Edzai Kasinauyo, who two weeks ago accompanied them to the Democratic Republic of Congo in an attempt o resolve the matter with Mazembe, also do not appear to have yielded any immediate results.
Yesterday the duo, increasingly getting agitated by the long wait on the sidelines, took their case to Fuz with local footballers’ union who in turn immediately wrote to TP Mazembe and demanded that the former African champions should prove that the players are still contracted to them.
Fuz secretary-general, Paul Gundani, said yesterday they had been touched by the players’ plight after Kasinauyo and Nyandoro had briefed them of the challenges that they have faced in trying to secure the reverse international clearances that would enable them to play for CAPS United.
CAPS United’s Irish coach Sean Connor has also made no secret of the fact that he has built his plans for the 2012 season around the availability of the former Monomotapa forwards.
Gundani said they had noted that the dispute between TP Mazembe and the players had emanated from the fact that the Congolese were insisting that the strikers were still contracted to them while the pair insists their deals at the Lubumbashi outfit expired in December 2010.
“I spoke to Nyandoro and I have since written a letter to TP Mazembe asking them to furnish us with a copy of the contract they have with the players.
“I have also copied the letter to Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze, the DRC Football Association, the DRC footballers body and to Mr Ashford Mamelodi (Fifa development officer for Southern Africa).
“As far as the player is concerned he is a free agent and he insists that when he played for them last year it was on a gentleman’s agreement as the club had indicated that they would release them at the end of 2011,’’ Gundani said.
The Fuz secretary-general said they had also been disappointed to note that there was virtually no paper trail at Zifa to indicate how the players were transferred from Monoz to TP Mazembe.
Gundani also castigated Monoz for not coming forward to clarify the terms on which they sold the players to TP Mazembe.
“Even though Monomotapa have not been forthcoming with information, our question is if indeed the players were still contracted to TP Mazembe, why is the club now asking them to first sign new two year deals before they can release them to CAPS United.
“We also want to know why if indeed the players belong to them they have not paid them any salary or allowances since November last year because if there is a contract in place then TP Mazembe is in serious breach of their contractual obligations.
“As FUZ we have said if we do not get any response from TP Mazembe in seven days, then we will take the matter up with Fifa, the African Players union and the international players union (FIFPRO),’’ Gundani said.
Gundani also warned local players to scrutinise the types of contracts they enter into with foreign clubs before agreeing to put pen to paper.
“I want to urge all our players to carefully study the contracts they would have been offered before they agree to join a foreign club. The players must also insist on getting a copy of the contract so that when disputes such as this arise it will be easy to deal with the matter . . . they should not just focus on the financial aspect of their signing on fees,’’ Gundani said.
Kasinauyo also felt TP Mazembe were merely trying to frustrate the players arguing that the Congolese had made it clear to him that Nyandoro and Semakwere were no longer n their plans.
“The players believe that contracts they signed with the club expired at the end of 2010 and that they had only agreed to extend to the end of 2011.
“Now we are saying instead of putting a condition to the players before they can release them TP Mazembe should furnish us with the contracts which the players signed. These players are breadwinners and they also have extended families to look after and their livelihood depends on playing football so why should they be made to suffer?
“We believe the club knows that they did not have any contracts and that is why they are changing goal-posts and saying sign two years contracts first and then we will allow you to join CAPS United on loan.
“Another option they had given was they would loan them to a sister club of theirs in DRC but these player do not want to play in DRC anymore, they want to play at home. “So we ware saying they should be allowed to continue with their careers without any hindrance and that is why we have engaged such parties like FUZ to assist us,’’ Kasinauyo said.