Chaos reigned in the Highlanders camp yesterday after players sat out their scheduled morning training session at Barbourfields Stadium, before later regrouping at the same venue to meet the executive and resume training in the afternoon.
The players
boycotted the session, demanding payment of their outstanding signing-on fees.
They had arrived in full training gear but sat on the pitch in protest,
refusing to take part in drills.
When the
Zimpapers Sports Hub news crew arrived at the venue, the players were still
inside the stadium, but access was denied.
In the morning
yesterday, club chairman Kenneth Mhlophe confirmed the standoff, saying a
meeting was being arranged between the leadership and the team captains to
resolve the issue.
After
discussions between the captains and the club leadership, the players agreed to
return to training once a meeting with the executive had been set.
However,
players who spoke to Zimpapers Sports Hub in the morning stand-off made it
clear that they expected payment following last week’s US$250,000 windfall from
Wicknell Chivayo.
In June,
philanthropist Wicknell Chivayo pledged US$1 million to the club of which
US$250 000 was dispersed in July.
Hopes were high
that the money would help the club clear signing on fees and at a press
conference to confirm the first disbursement, captain Ariel Sibanda confirmed
that outstanding allowances and bonuses had been cleared.
There was also
another US$50 000 set aside for players’ acquisitions.
Although the
team received their overdue winning bonuses before the game against Dynamos
last week, the players believe part of the funds should have covered signing-on
fees as well.
The players
have no issues regarding salaries, which are paid by Sakunda Holdings.
However, the
confusion appears to have stemmed from the handling of the Chivayo sponsorship
funds, which are run by a curator Jabulani Nkomo, who runs a construction
company tasked with erecting a wall around the Highlanders Clubhouse.
Members and
community have been disturbed with the lack of progress despite US$109 000
having been taken from the first tranche of the US$250 000 paid in July.
Players say
they were promised their signing-on fees would be paid from the second batch of
funds, which arrived last week. Instead, the club again used the money to
settle outstanding winning bonuses.
One player
said: “The issue is when the first batch of the money came, they promised us
signing-on fees from the second batch, but we just got our winning bonuses.
Where is the money going to?”
Another player
added: “Yes, they paid us our outstanding winning bonuses using the Chivayo
money last week, but the issue now is signing-on fees. The team is united, and
we are not going to give in easily. As it stands, the boys are threatening not
to travel.” Chronicle
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