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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
CAPS UNITED players were yesterday still to report for national team duty in preparation for the All-Africa Games (African Championships) qualifier against Cameroon.
The match is set for the weekend of March 21-23 in Yaounde, the same weekend that the Premier Soccer League kicks off. All the other locally based players of the Young Warriors squad have reported for duty.
Makepekepe which is owned by the Zifa board member, Twine Phiri is arguing that the said date falls outside the Fifa calendar hence they are not obliged to send their players to the national team camp.
“All the players are in camp except for the Caps United players Ronald Pfumbidzai, Kudzai Nyamupfukudza and Takudzwa Mahori,” said one of the players yesterday.
The Young Warriors’ away qualifier clashes with the start of the 2015 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season.
Clubs though are not obliged to release players for national team duty if the match is not on the Fifa calendar while teams with three or more players called up can have their league matches postponed. Four teams, FC Platinum, Caps United, Dynamos and Highlanders each have three players that were called up by the Under-23 gaffer Callisto Pasuwa.
FC Platinum have Wisdom Mutasa, Walter Musona and Emmanuel Mandiranga, Dynamos have Blessing Moyo, Tatenda Makuruva and Carlos Rusere. Bulawayo giants, Highlanders provided Teenage Hadebe, Nqobizitha Masuku and Thomas Chideu.
The Premier Soccer League said they will engage Zifa to resolve the Caps United issue.
“Our league starts on the same date with the Young Warriors’ away trip to Cameroon, which is an important match for the country but our season has to kick off too, so we will be engaging the mother body to see if we can reach common ground,” said the PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele.
Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela also said they will be engaging Caps United through their affiliate PSL.
“Football should be the winner at the end of the day, these players have been called up for national duty. The match falls outside the Fifa calendar but that shouldn’t be an excuse for refusing to release players for national duty,” said Gwesela.
According to online reports South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and Netherlands’ Vitesse are reluctant to release Kuda Mahachi and Marvelous Nakamba respectively.
Fifa’s Regulations on the status and transfer of players
Article One states that:
Clubs are obliged to release their registered players to the representative teams of the country for which the player is eligible to play on the basis of his nationality if they are called up by the association concerned. Any agreement between a player and a club to the contrary is prohibited.
Article Two states that:
The release of players under the terms of paragraph 1 of this article is mandatory for matches on dates listed in the co-ordinated international match calendar and for all matches for which a duty to release players exists on the basis of a special decision by the Fifa executive committee.
Article Three state that:
It is not compulsory to release players for matches scheduled on dates not listed in the co-ordinated international match calendar.
Young Warriors squad
Goalkeepers: Tatenda Mukuruva (Dynamos), Bernard Donovan How Mine), Tatenda Gwademba Harare City), Akim Abdular (Sunshine Dodges, Australia)
Defenders: Blessing Moyo Dynamos), Morris Kadzola (How Mine), Ronald Pfumbidzayi (Caps United), Liberty Chakoroma (Buffaloes), Kelvin Moyo (FC Platinum), Teenage Hadebe (Highlanders)
Midfielders: Nqobizitha Masuku (Highlanders), Kudzai Nyamupfukudza (Caps United), Wisdom Mutasa ( FC Platinum), Carlos Rusere (Dynamos), Walter Musona (FC Platinum), Malvern Gaki (Triangle) Takudzwa Mahori (Caps United), M Mandiranga (FC Platinum), Talent Chawapihwa (Harare City), Kudakwashe Mahachi (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa), Marvelous Nakamba (Vitesse, Netherlands), Macaulley Bonne (Colchester United, England)
Forwards: Pritchard Mphelele (Hwange), Judar Rashirai (Real Salt Lake Academy), Thomas Chideu (Highlanders)
Online Reporter