The ManicaPost
THERE is a worrisome trend within the domestic football industry where players always fall victim when clubs breach their contracts mainly because of lack of financial capacity to honour contractual obligations.
In equal measure, player blameworthiness is evident given their tendency of disregarding their contractual obligations when faced with potentially rewarding transfers.
Sport is no longer a leisure pastime.
The recognition of elite athletes as economic commodities has led to a growth of a worldwide multi-billion dollar sports industry.
Sports people are now recognised as household names with economic value and influence.
Inevitably, that development requires an appropriate legal framework for regulation and stakeholder rights protection.
But the history of domestic top-flight league football is littered with numerous examples of players who have been left to count their losses after being literally dumped by clubs without due fulfilment of financial imbursement as per the contractual obligations.
Last week, the nation woke up to the sad news of former Manica Diamonds’ player, Last Jesi’s contract being terminated with two years and four months remaining on it.
The player contract, as a hybrid commercial and employment arrangement, must give the employer a substantial degree of protection and place significant obligations on the player.
Opportunities can arise for players to take advantage of their commercial value and the employing club will want to ensure adherence to its contractual obligations to minimise the risk of disputes which might ultimately lead to the loss of their asset.
In the same breadth, the player also has personal interests to protect.
After all, players have bellies and families to feed!
While teams have to come to an agreement on the financial aspects of a transfer, only the player should decide whether to move or not.
He or she might want to move, but he or she should be able to decline or accept a transfer as well.
The final decision for any particular transfer should, of course, rest with the player.
Within contracts, players should have their own clauses inserted.
While Jesi will take comfort in the fact that there has been an assurance of payment as per his contract, many players, especially in local football circles, have not had that privilege.
Some clubs have had the temerity to dump a player when he or she is nursing injuries. Players have been left to meet their own medical bills after sustaining injuries during the course of duty.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made things worse.
The pandemic has led to serious economic challenges globally.
Clubs have been affected severely as most of the companies that back them have been forced to either scale down or stop operations, thereby resulting in reduced sponsorship.
Clubs that also depend on gate takings have also been hit hard.
With no football matches being played for so long, players have faced the possibility of having their salaries cut.
But a win-win situation for both the clubs and players is required.
The most important issue is for the players’ employment conditions not to be unilaterally changed, particularly in relation to their salaries.
Football player salaries in Zimbabwe, and many other countries, are modest and changes to their employment contract could severely impact their livelihoods.
It is our fervent hope that as we go forward, financial fair play will be upheld and all contracts shall be respected from both ends.
