‘Pay up or be snubbed’
Emerging Super League giants Epac have given their strongest signal yet that clubs wanting to buy their players will have to pay up promptly or else they will be snubbed.
A case in point is that Airborne Rangers want the services of Epac’s Stain Malata and Nole Mlelemba, but Epac owner Dini Josaya Banda expressed disappointment when the suitors wanted to pay K400 000 as down payment towards a K3 million price for the two players.
“This is a big joke. From K3 million to K400 000? This shows Airborne are not serious. I told them they should keep their money and we will stop them from registering the players. Had it been that they gave us K2 million, we could have allowed Sulom to clear them. But K400 000 is demeaning. We are not a nursery for other teams,” said Josaya Banda.
The Epac owner has already had a bad experience with military teams following the poaching of three of his key players last season by Kamuzu Barracks.
Josaya Banda said Airborne risk losing the players to other military teams if they delay to pay up.
“They think because the two players are not soldiers, we might lose out, but we have received better offers from other military teams for the same players. Because we are a civilised club, we will give them a grace period to enable them raise the money,” he said.
Even on the international transfer market, Epac have had to endure protracted payment hurdles over their K5 million price tag for Ishmael Thindwa to Zimbabwe’s Caps United.
Caps paid the initial K2 million for Thindwa in January this year. But it has transpired that the Zimbabweans want to conclude the purchase in instalments. An additional K1 million was reportedly paid last Wednesday after Epac general secretary Roy Mdechi travelled to Zimbabwe.
Caps have also reportedly pledged to settle the remaining K2 million soon.
Josaya Banda said unlike last year when Epac lost players without gaining any meaningful money, this time he has vowed to be vigilant and uncompromising.
Meanwhile, the Epac owner has instructed Sulom not to release Pilirani Zonda and Mussa Manyenje until the bank clears a K3 million cheque Big Bullets issued for the two players.
“We learnt something from the Tony Chitsulo transfer saga involving Silver Strikers and Mighty Wanderers. We will not let that happen to us,” said Banda.
