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Eddie Chikamhi Harare Bureau
OUSTED labour consultant Eliah Zvimba has charged that sharp differences with some influential players opposed to the implementation of the grading system was one of the major reasons his contract was terminated by the Zimbabwe Professional Cricketers Association.He said he has been involved in endless fights with certain senior players since he started pushing for a proper grading system based on statistics and overall performances.
Zvimba, a key figure in the setting up of the ZPCA framework after being hired to mediate between the players and Zimbabwe Cricket administration last year, said he has no problem with the players’ decision to dump him.
After successfully managing to get ZC to pay the players their outstanding payments in the last 12 months, Zvimba said his relationship with some senior players broke down along the way with the players accusing him of not serving their best interests.
However, Zvimba yesterday said fissures began to emerge between him and the senior cricketers after calling for a proper grading system that recognises and rewards players based on talent, skill, statistics and performance than experience alone.
“It wasn’t going to be good news for certain players who were in certain classes and grades. They knew they were going to be demoted because it’s the system that grades the job, not me or anyone else,” said Zvimba.
“That’s when I had a fallout with the players because they were not doing enough on the field. The players now started fighting with me, telling me to stop implementing that system. But I’m a professional person. I’m not here for a few players but for the legacy of cricket in Zimbabwe.
“Tomorrow I will leave office, just like it is happening now, and if they are professionals and decide to implement it, the system will work. But if they are cowards and corrupt people it will not.”
The 42-year-old labour expert will now revert full-time to his consultancy firm.
Zvimba said he could see his fate being sealed after suspecting that the ZPCA was infiltrated by administrators from Zimbabwe Cricket who did not want the players to speak with one voice.
He also accused some of the senior players of going behind the backs of their colleagues to negotiate with the ZC management without their knowledge.
He said his sacking was meant to benefit few individual interests at the expense of the majority of the players, down to the franchise level.
“At first I negotiated for the senior national team players only but then you would realise that these players come from the franchises and there was need to have an all-inclusive representation,” said Zvimba.
“It all went well but then later some of these senior guys were meeting ZC and they came and told me they had been promised something very nice.
“I was taken aback because I asked the question what’s that ‘nice’ that ZC has promised the players now when they have failed to do so for years? So I stepped back to observe what they were up to and that’s when I became irrelevant.
“So this decision, I could see it coming and I was not worried. I knew there was no way they were going to renew my contract. The problem is they need a yes man, someone who just assents to the resolutions of their kangaroo meetings but at the end of the day all these things would benefit a few individual players.”
Zvimba said the fallout with the senior players got worse when he rejected the pressure to force him to employ their wives in the ZPCA secretariat after the organisation had secured backing of the Federation of International Cricketers Association to establish an office.
ZPCA announced at the weekend that they decided against renewing Zvimba’s contract because he was no longer representing them well and was accused of double dipping as he received money from both the players and FICA for the same services.
However, Zvimba said “90 percent” of the charges cited for the refusal of the renewal of his contract were false.
“From January to July I was using my own personal resources to do ZPCA business up until I said to the players that it’s becoming too heavy and we agreed with the players to send an SOS to FICA. FICA didn’t take time to agree.
“So, they gave us a model to work until we became a full member capable of raising our own money. For now they would give US$1,500 subsidy to cover costs of running the office, and not for my salary.
“And you can’t say I created an unholy alliance with FICA because when you are at infancy stage you need to have alliances so that as an organisation your rights can be enshrined in one document.
“We were trying to create models to be used by future generations. There is no way ZC can work without ICC, the same applies to ZPCA and FICA. We are trying to do a uniform thing so that when Zvimba leaves the system continues to run on it’s on,” said Zvimba.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe lost by three wickets to visiting Canada at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
The hosts had at the end of their 50 limited overs scored 238 runs for the loss of eight wickets while Canada made 240 having lost seven men in 48.4 overs.
Online Reporter