In a fresh twist to the controversy surrounding Tony Chitsulo, Silver Strikers claim that they have established there is no money in Mighty Wanderers account.
The Nomads last Friday issued a K1.9 million (about $4 750) cheque to the Bankers as transfer fee for Chitsulo, but the Bankers rejected it on the basis that they would only accept a bank certified cheque.
However, Silver’s general secretary Mike Tembo on Thursday made stunning claims that there was no money in the Nomads account.
“The latest is that true to our fears, we have established that there is no money in their [Wanderers] account and this justifies our earlier demand for a bank certified cheque before we could clear the player,” said Tembo.
Asked on the way forward, Tembo said: “Our position remains that we’ll not issue the player’s clearance unless we get the agreed transfer fee.”
However, reacting to Silver’s claims, Wanderers GS David Kanyenda said: “We have elected to stop payment since we have noted that they were not negotiating in good faith.
“They sought to unilaterally introduce fresh terms and conditions after the contract was already concluded and again they want to deal with us through the media. Shouldn’t they approach us to find out why the cheque has been dishonoured?”
Kanyenda also said they suspect that the Bankers are out to frustrate their efforts to get Chitsulo on board.
“They have connived with Bullets. BB weren’t privy to the negotiations, but how did they learn details of Silver’s unilateral terms? It reflects poorly on them to leak their position to third parties.
“Our position is that we believe a negotiated settlement will be met, the transfer was effective and the sole outstanding issue is mode of payment,” said Kanyenda.
However, Bullets general secretary Higger Mkandawire said the Nomads should not drag them into their controversy.
“This issue is purely between them [Wanderers and Silver] and therefore it should not concern us. However, our interest is whether Wanderers legally featured Chitsulo who contributed to their earning a point against us in a league game last Saturday,” said Mkandawire.
