Sports / Local
Bosso cashiers 'loot' gate takings
19 Sep 2014 at 10:02hrs | Views
HIGHLANDERS and How Mine treasurers paid themselves, gate cashiers and chief cashiers inflated and unsanctioned amounts of money after the two clubs' Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match at Hartsfield Grounds on Sunday.
The two treasurers, Jerry Sibanda of Highlanders and Julius Samuel of How Mine increased, against PSL recommended figures, the amounts resulting in cashiers getting $50 each instead of the agreed $30 while chief cashiers and treasurers got $100 each instead of $60.
A source at the PSL told Chronicle Sport that they were surprised upon receiving the match's income and expenditure statement.
"The two clubs shall certainly be called upon to explain these inflated figures. Agreed amounts are $30 for the cashiers and $60 for the chief cashiers and club treasurers," said the source who asked for anonymity.
The same source said it was strange that the two clubs also went on to hire three chief cashiers for a match that had 3,000 fans paying their way into the venue. After the Highlanders/Dynamos match last month in which slightly over 15,400 paid, the Highlanders treasurer received $80, according to documents at hand while for lesser matches like the Bantu Rovers and Buffaloes games, he got $70. After the Sunday match, the two rivals each got a paltry $992 as their take home from the gate takings with the big chunk going to service providers and bodies like Zifa, SRC and the PSL.
From the net takings, Highlanders, who won the match 3-1 through goals from midfielder Felix 'SaNicky' Chindungwe, Dumisani Fazo Ndlovu and hitman Charles Sibanda, have to pay winning bonuses to their players.
With Bosso's winning bonuses bill standing at $5,500, the club was left $4,600 in the red.
With the illegal hikes the eight cashiers received a total of $400 with $300 going to the three chief cashiers while supervisors were paid $460, despite the fact that a private security company was also hired for $425.
The income and expenditure statement shows that a cashier from How Mine had a shortfall of $108 but against standing procedure, the two club treasurers agreed to have the shortage absorbed from the net share. It is assumed that she sold $5 booklet tickets for $3. Normally if a cashier has a shortfall, he or she makes good the payment.
Being a cup game the two teams shared all the expenses while providing an equal number of service personnel for the match.
Contacted for comment Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede professed ignorance on the figures and referred all questions to Sibanda.
"I was not in the finance committee but during the pre-match meeting which I attended, there was no mention of money while in our usual Monday meeting, we were not told of this missing $108 which you are talking about. I'm hearing it for the first time from you," he said.
Highlanders treasurer Sibanda defended their decision to award themselves increases saying there was nothing in black and white concerning the Chibuku Trophy.
"Those figures are for Barbourfields Stadium and in any event this tournament has nothing written down about how much people should be paid, we have to agree as clubs," said Sibanda.
On the $108 shortfall, Sibanda said had it been a Highlanders cashier it would have been easier to deal with the case as he would simply have deducted the money from what the cashier was suppose to get.
"I tried not to entertain the request to have us (clubs) bear the costs but look, we are humans, sometimes you have to feel for each other," he said, adding that under normal circumstances that shortfall should have been passed on to the PSL.
The Chibuku Super Cup has a budget of $500,000 which however does not cover any costs for the clubs like accommodation and travel.
The Zimbabwean situation continues to be peculiar with clubs which bring people to the stadia in dire financial straits while corporate and other institutions like councils continue to reap millions of dollars.
In other countries for example, advertising billboards revenue goes to the clubs but for Zimbabwe, local authorities are the beneficiaries.
The two treasurers, Jerry Sibanda of Highlanders and Julius Samuel of How Mine increased, against PSL recommended figures, the amounts resulting in cashiers getting $50 each instead of the agreed $30 while chief cashiers and treasurers got $100 each instead of $60.
A source at the PSL told Chronicle Sport that they were surprised upon receiving the match's income and expenditure statement.
"The two clubs shall certainly be called upon to explain these inflated figures. Agreed amounts are $30 for the cashiers and $60 for the chief cashiers and club treasurers," said the source who asked for anonymity.
The same source said it was strange that the two clubs also went on to hire three chief cashiers for a match that had 3,000 fans paying their way into the venue. After the Highlanders/Dynamos match last month in which slightly over 15,400 paid, the Highlanders treasurer received $80, according to documents at hand while for lesser matches like the Bantu Rovers and Buffaloes games, he got $70. After the Sunday match, the two rivals each got a paltry $992 as their take home from the gate takings with the big chunk going to service providers and bodies like Zifa, SRC and the PSL.
From the net takings, Highlanders, who won the match 3-1 through goals from midfielder Felix 'SaNicky' Chindungwe, Dumisani Fazo Ndlovu and hitman Charles Sibanda, have to pay winning bonuses to their players.
With Bosso's winning bonuses bill standing at $5,500, the club was left $4,600 in the red.
With the illegal hikes the eight cashiers received a total of $400 with $300 going to the three chief cashiers while supervisors were paid $460, despite the fact that a private security company was also hired for $425.
The income and expenditure statement shows that a cashier from How Mine had a shortfall of $108 but against standing procedure, the two club treasurers agreed to have the shortage absorbed from the net share. It is assumed that she sold $5 booklet tickets for $3. Normally if a cashier has a shortfall, he or she makes good the payment.
Contacted for comment Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede professed ignorance on the figures and referred all questions to Sibanda.
"I was not in the finance committee but during the pre-match meeting which I attended, there was no mention of money while in our usual Monday meeting, we were not told of this missing $108 which you are talking about. I'm hearing it for the first time from you," he said.
Highlanders treasurer Sibanda defended their decision to award themselves increases saying there was nothing in black and white concerning the Chibuku Trophy.
"Those figures are for Barbourfields Stadium and in any event this tournament has nothing written down about how much people should be paid, we have to agree as clubs," said Sibanda.
On the $108 shortfall, Sibanda said had it been a Highlanders cashier it would have been easier to deal with the case as he would simply have deducted the money from what the cashier was suppose to get.
"I tried not to entertain the request to have us (clubs) bear the costs but look, we are humans, sometimes you have to feel for each other," he said, adding that under normal circumstances that shortfall should have been passed on to the PSL.
The Chibuku Super Cup has a budget of $500,000 which however does not cover any costs for the clubs like accommodation and travel.
The Zimbabwean situation continues to be peculiar with clubs which bring people to the stadia in dire financial straits while corporate and other institutions like councils continue to reap millions of dollars.
In other countries for example, advertising billboards revenue goes to the clubs but for Zimbabwe, local authorities are the beneficiaries.
Source - chronicle
