The Sunday News
Phineas Mukwazo Sports Editor
THE Zimbabwe Football Association will pay stakeholders a combined 10 percent from the gate takings at all its matches. This was disclosed by Zifa president Phillip Chiyangwa in a telephone interview on Friday who added that it was high time the players, who drew crowds to the stadia, reaped their “due rewards.” “Because munhu kana aona stadium yazara
then he says this is the time to make money. No, those who play football, those who attract crowds should get the large chunk of what is generated at the gates,’’ said Chiyangwa.
“It’s now up to us to determine how much we should pay out. Police are out there to keep peace, or to guard against civil arrest, why should we pay them handsomely for doing their job. Why should local government demand a hefty 20 percent. We are saying we are going to part with 10 percent of our gate takings (to pay stakeholders) like what is happening in other countries, where they prioritise the development of the game. Players should benefit from profits from the gate takings, we have also Zimra to contend with.
“Why should somebody be paid handsomely without playing football. It is necessary to give the players their dues. Football is a short career and the players should benefit more,’’ said Chiyangwa.
He said the Zifa decision should also cascade to PSL games and other sporting codes.
Asked on whether the decision would not be in violation of standing agreements, between Zifa and the stakeholders, Chiyangwa said:
“No, no my friend the only thing that is statutory is the six percent which we give to the Sports Commission, the rest of these guys, we can dictate what we should give them.”
While Chiyangwa was making that declaration, a source within local football who concurred with the Zifa boss said the money paid to some stakeholders was “too much.’’
“For example what Zifa pays to the police is determined by their numbers and their ranks, the higher the rank the more one gets. And that is also determined by the magnitude of the match, if the match if of stature then expect more police details, we are talking about thousands of dollars here,’’ said the source.Zifa also argues that the 20 percent paid to the council was excessive considering that the association and clubs were not granted the full use of the stadia unlike when the churches utilised the facilities.
“Let it be percentages so that there is a win-win situation. The city councils argue that they own the stadia, but we can also argue that we have the product, the teams that fill the stadia. It follows that without the teams they will be no stadia to talk about.
“Alternatively the owners of the stadia should agree that we share the expenses, before they get their share of the cake. They should accede to the full use of the stadia, the use of the kiosks and so forth,’’ said the official.
From match day gross gate takings Zifa pays the SRC six percent, Caf six percent, Fifa threepercent, the city councils 20 percent, a fixed fee for ambulance services, among other expenses.
Following the Warriors/Swaziland Afcon qualifier on Easter Monday Chiyangwa reportedly blasted police officers who had demanded payment soon after the match. The behaviour exhibited by the police officers had not gone down well with Chiyangwa who questioned the security personnel’s sincerity in helping develop sport in the country.
“Police should be able to protect people without being paid. This cannot be allowed to continue, who will protect the people when police demand money like this?” Chiyangwa reportedly fumed.
“During the Mighty Warriors’ match, police collected 40 percent of gate takings, now they are at it again. I will order the Zifa secretariat not to hire them again. It’s better to use private security. Police officers cannot grab large chunks of money when the real players don’t get anything. Do the police play football?
“We have not paid the players who won the match but the police want to be the first to get paid. What is this, do they not have a duty to protect the people for free, they get salaries at the end of the month and why should citizens pay them extra?”
However, yesterday Chiyangwa reiterated that all service providers including the city councils and the police should not benefit at the expense of the players.
