Babatunde is a banker

• Silver ordered to pay Nomads K8m transfer fee

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has ordered Silver Strikers to pay Be Forward Wanderers K8 million transfer fee for striker Babatunde Adepoju despite withdrawing from the deal.

The ruling legitimises Silver as the owners of the striker as it activates the transfer agreement the two Super League sides reached.

Silver agreed to sign the Nigerian forward earlier this month, but pulled out from the deal at the eleventh hour when he had already signed a contract and  a transfer fee cheque had been issued.

The payment was, however, reversed while Wanderers had already deposited the cheque. It  prompted the Nomads to report Silver to FAM demanding K8 million compensation.

“In the letter, Wanderers stated that there was a breach in the transfer agreement on the football player in question,” reads the FAM ruling in part.

Through the verdict addressed to Silver, FAM said it analysed the documents and  established that Wanderers and Silver reached an agreement on the transfer.

It further reads: “we strongly believe that both Wanderers and Silver fulfilled the conditions of the transfer with the presence of an offer letter.”

FAM further stated that the reversal of the cheque deposited at the NBS Bank Lilongwe Service Centre was “done purposefully” after its [Silver’s] board of trustees had ordered the deal’s cancellation.

In the ruling, which Weekend Nation has seen, FAM states that Wanderers were subjected to the financial loss.

“You are hereby ordered to  pay the full transfer amount of K8 million. We believe that the issues have been duly addressed,” FAM said.

FAM has meanwhile asked the two clubs to, within three days, write to seek an appeal if not satisfied with the ruling.

Reacting to the ruling, Wanderers general secretary Victor Maunde said they are satisfied with it.

“We are happy that we have been vindicated. Justice has finally been served,” he said.

Silver chief executive officer Thoko Chimbali acknowledged receiving the ruling which is dated March 26 and copied to Super League of Malawi and Wanderers.

When asked for his comment he said: “We will get a direction from our legal team.”

Babatunde yesterday said he needed to get advice from his manager.

“Does it mean I have to join Silver?… Then I need to talk to my representative for his advice and from there I will be able to come up with a position,” he said.

For the better part of last season, Babatunde was the TNM Super League leading scorer, but lost his rhythm in the second round and finished third with 14 goals behind eventual golden boot winner Khuda Muyaba (21) and runner-up Hassan Kajoke (17).

He joined Wanderers from Masters Security at the start of last season.