All TNM Super League players’ contracts which were expected to expire by December have been extended following the delayed 2020 season kick off due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) player transfer matching system and compliance manager Casper Jangale said the extension follows Fifa guidelines on how to handle contract issues in the wake of Covid-19.
“The period during which football is not played is not considered as not having been fulfilled during the contract,” he said.
According to Fifa player status rules and regulations, “The minimum length of a contract shall be from its effective date until the end of the season, while the maximum length of a contract shall be five years.”
But in the wake fo the Covid-19, Fifa issued guidelines which propose that the period during which football is not played should not count in the contract.
The guidelines read: “Where an agreement is due to expire at the original end date of a season, such expiry be extended until the new end date of the season. Where an agreement is due to commence at the original start date of a new season, such commencement be delayed until the new start date of a new season.
“In the event of overlapping seasons and/or registration periods, and unless all parties agree otherwise, priority be given to the former club to complete their season with their original squad, in order to safeguard the integrity of a domestic league, MA [member associations] competition and continental competition.”
With the kick off of the 2020 season yet to be known, it is also uncertain when such contracts will expire.
“We are waiting to hear from the competitions committee to let us know when the season will kick off and conclude. That will determine when the expiring contract will end as well,” he said.
FAM competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka said the FAM joint Covid-19 task force will meet government officials on Wednesday to present a proposal to kick off the season in August.
Some of the players likely to be affected by the Fifa guidelines are Blue Eagles Vitumbiko Kumwenda and be Forward Wanderers’ Babatunde Adepoje whose contracts are expiring and wanted to move to other clubs.
