Be Forward Ltd pledges to address players’ concerns

Be Forward Limited, sponsors of Be Forward Wanderers FC, have assured the team’s players that their concern over salary payment delay will be addressed.

This follows a meeting which Be Forward had with the team manager Stevie Madeira and captain Francis Mulimbika two days ago.

For months, Wanderers players have been complaining about the delay to get their salaries, which culminated in a training boycott last month.

However, the club’s general secretary Mike Butao yesterday said the issue has since been “addressed amicably following the meeting they [sponsors] had with the team manager and the captain during their visit.”

Madeira confirmed meeting the sponsors, saying: “The sponsors admitted that it was a technical hitch on their part and that the timing of the salary payment will be reviewed once they return to Japan.

“They gave an assurance that by the 5th of every month, the players would have been paid their salaries,” he said.

Wanderers vice-chairperson Gift Mkandawire said the move by the sponsors to explain the delay  has come as a relief “because there were a lot of falsehoods flying around, mostly perpetrated by people with selfish and personal interests and one of them was that the money comes into our accounts first where it accumulates interest before being given to the players.

“We hope this puts to rest all the nasty speculations so that we can all focus on the team’s engagements.” n