Tigers, Epac demand full payments of player transfer fees
Bullets Pilirani Zonda in a Carlsberg Cup game
After enduring hide-and-seek games on player transfer fees in the 2014 TNM Super League, Azam Tigers and Epac FC are advocating for a change in the system.
Tigers technical director Robin Alufandika and Epac FC owner Dini Josaya Banda have said they do not want a repeat of the just-ended season’s scenario where they lost approximately K10 million and K3 million respectively, following other teams’ defaul on payments.
Sydney Chikoti, chairperson of Azam Tigers shared the same sentiments.
“I agree with this development,” said Chikoti.
However, Big Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers, who have expressed keen interest to beef-up their squads ahead of the CAF Club Championship and the next TNM Super League, in that order, have described Tigers and Epac decisions as unrealistic.
According to Alufandika, they only got verbal assurance from Wanderers on the sale of Kondwani Lufeyo and Kondwani Kumwenda, who were pegged at K2.8 million and K1.5 million respectively, even after Super League of Malawi’s (Sulom) agreed to intervene if the Nomads failed to pay the money.
He added that Tigers also did not get the K4 million and the K1.5 million bills from Red Lions and Blue Eagles for the services of Moses Nankumba and Charles Ngosi respectively.
“From now onwards, no club will take our player before paying transfer fees in full,” said Alufandika.
“We have had enough of frustrations and we now want to live in peace. We spend a lot of money grooming these players and it is not on for other teams to come and take our footballers for a song.”
Banda said they have come up with the decision after realising “Sulom is not doing justice by giving transfer clearance to players before the mutual agreements of the teams involved.”
According to Banda, his team got no penny from Malawi Defence Force Teams (MDF) Airborne Rangers and Mafco FC for Happier Mlelemba (K1.5m) and goalkeeper Jailosi Kapalamula (1.5m) respectively. He said they are yet to receive the K300 000 deficit from the K1.5 million sale of Stain Malata to Rangers.
“We struggled to get our dues last season mostly because of Sulom’s intervention in our contractual discussions with the teams that showed interest in our players.
“They felt our lengthy talks could obstruct the footballers’ career prospects at the Army teams, but they overlooked the hardships we go through. Teams should be paying full transfer fees before taking our players. This is the best way to go,” he said.
Sulom president Innocent Bottomani has welcomed the two teams’ idea but said would still continue monitoring the deals to ensure that some teams with ill motives do not kill the footballers’ career.
He, however, attributed some of the player transfer mishaps that occurred last season to the teams’ tendency to involve Sulom when contractual talks are already at advanced stages.
“We support the intentions of Tigers and Epac to demand full payment of transfer fees from teams that want to buy their players, but our plea is that they should involve us,” said Botomani.
Fifa player transfer regulations allow agreements between teams on loaning players. For example, veteran Frank Lampard of New York City in the United States currently plays for English Premier League champions Manchester City while waiting for next season to start.
“A professional may be loaned to another club on the basis of a written agreement between him and the clubs concerned. Any such loan is subject to the same rules as apply to the transfer of players, including the provisions on training compensation and the solidarity mechanism,” reads www.fifa.com.
