Striker Ishmael Thindwa has defied a request from Caps United to travel to Zimbabwe to hold face-to-face discussions over his intention to terminate his contract for “breach of contractual agreements.”
In a telephone interview with The Nation on Monday, Caps United director of marketing Alois Bunjira said it does not make sense for Thindwa, currently on loan at Be Forward Wanderers, to ask for cancellation of his deal while in Malawi.
However, he could not confirm or deny that they breached contractual conditions saying: “We cannot discuss that any further. All we want is to meet Ishmael.”
Bunjira was reacting to Thindwa’s request sent to Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to help him terminate his two year contract at the Harare-based outfit after the club allegedly failed to pay him his salary and other benefits for five months.
According to the striker’s manager Roy Mdechi, Caps have not paid Thindwa five months salary arrears amounting to $3 000 (about K1.6 million), $4 000 (about K2.2 million) signing-on fee and game bonuses for nine games totalling $1 350 (about K750 000).
Reacting to Caps’ demands that he should return, Thindwa said he is not interested because he feared the officials will “sweet-talk” him to remain at the club.
“What I know is that they will convince me to remain their player. They are good at making promises which unfortunately they don’t fulfil,” he explained. “To avoid falling prey to their tactics it is better that I don’t go.”
The former Epac marksman, whose Caps deal ends in December next year, said he has asked FAM and his manager to secure his release.
Meanwhile, his manager Mdechi said he has tried in vain to convince Thindwa to meet the Caps officials while describing his stand as a sign of boldness that he is determined to sever ties with the club.
Last week, FAM wrote Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) asking for its intervention on the issue.
But Mdechi said Zifa has asked FAM to deal directly with Caps but revert if the two sides fail to resolve the matter.
“What we are planning now is to write Caps to terminate the contract and honour the agreements it made to my player. If they can meet all expenses I can offer to travel and meet the club’s officials in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Thindwa signed for Caps from Epac last year after winning twice the Super League top goal scorer award. However, he failed to nail a place in the team.
The forward said he started in almost all second round games at Caps last season in which he scored three goals. However, he explained that the coaches only featured him in three matches “because I wanted to leave the club due to its failure to pay me.”
“I can describe my stay in Zimbabwe as a waste of time and a backward step in my career but maybe it was God’s arrangement.”
