The Sunday News
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
AMID all the excitement of winning the country’s most prestigious club competition, the Chibuku Super Cup, the financial troubles at Bulawayo Chiefs Football Club appear to be far from over after players staged a protest at the club’s shop situated at Tshaka Centre where they left placards glued to the entrance.
By the look of things, Chiefs players will have a horrible Christmas with nothing to show for winning the Chibuku Super Cup and for finishing seventh in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
Bulawayo Chiefs protest placards
The players vented out their frustrations outside the shop, situated in Bulawayo’s Central Business Centre (CBD) which is presently closed for the festive season and is expected to open next year.
It is not the first time a protest has been staged at the shop after the club was forced to close the facility after a partner of one of the players took matters into her own hands and invaded the shop demanding she be given replicas so she could sell and make ends meet.
At that time, Chiefs took to Twitter to denounce the article by Chronicle Sports claiming all was well in their camp.
This time the protest has left a great trail of evidence and efforts to get a comment from the club were fruitless as club spokesperson Thulani “Javas” Sibanda was not responding to calls.
Chiefs who won the Chibuku Super Cup have been struggling to pay salaries for the greater part of the season. It is understood that the club has not paid players their salaries since July, with a payment plan that should have seen salaries paid by October not stuck to.
As a result, a deal between the club and players was struck to the effect that the players’ outstanding salaries would be paid from the Chibuku Super Cup and PSL prize money.
It is understood that financially troubled Chiefs proposed to use 70 percent of the prize money to clear the salary backlog and 100 percent of the prize money from the PSL for finishing seventh was also to be shared by the players.
The PSL was officially notified by Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) of the agreement some months ago but yesterday’s action by the players suggests that they are yet to get the money.
Bulawayo Chiefs shop
Some of the players yesterday indicated that they were informed that they will get their dues on 19 December but sadly, while their peers enjoy themselves on Christmas Day, Amakhosi Amahle footballers will be wallowing in misery.
A number of Chiefs players have already threatened to walk out of their contracts at the club owing to the financial struggles.
Already, attacking midfielder Perfect Chikwende is believed to have joined Manica Diamonds of Mutare. — Follow on Twitter @innocentskizoe
