Sports / Soccer
Warriors boycott training over outstanding bonuses
01 Feb 2014 at 10:08hrs | Views
ZIMBABWE'S quest to clinch bronze in the ongoing Chan tournament which ends here today got a knock when the players boycotted training over outstanding bonuses, the Chronicle reported.
Yesterday's incident brought to a chaotic end the team's expedition.
The players went to the field for the session that should have started at 5PM but refused to train.
They are pressing for outstanding bonuses after lasting the distance in the tournament. The players have allegedly not been rewarded financially for their success which saw them lose in the semi-finals of the continental tournament meant for locally based players. It is the country's best performance in international football but yesterday the boys chose to boycott training to press for payment.
Coaches waited for more than an hour while the head of delegation and Zifa board member responsible for marketing Nigel Munyati addressed the players.
Training was eventually called off.
The players headed to the hotel where they went into a meeting which was addressed by team manager Sharrif Mussa and the coaches.
Boycotting the third place play off against Nigeria at the Cape Town Stadium does not look like an option for the Warriors given the repercussions.
They look set to go into battle without preparing for the match and low on motivation.
By reaching the semi-finals, the Warriors earned themselves $250,000 but such funds cannot be made available immediately.
Munyati tried to play down the boycott saying it was a day for light training, which he claimed they did. The players fear that they will be abandoned if they disperse before the money is paid out. They cannot fight Zifa individually hence the collective job action and with perhaps a new Zifa to take over, it would be difficult for the players to get their money.
Zifa are more than $4 million in the red.
Several Warriors coaches are still owed by Zifa despite their contracts having terminated over three years ago.
With the tournament officially ending today, the players have to vacate the Garden Court Hotel, accommodation provided by the Local Organising Committee tomorrow.
However, the Warriors are only scheduled to leave for Harare on Monday night. This means they might have to look for their own accommodation tomorrow night yet they are owed bonuses.
It emerged later in the evening that Zifa had told the players how the $250,000 would be split.
The players' share would have been net after the national association would have deducted money for outstanding bonuses.
The players ended their closed meeting at 8PM just as they were getting ready for supper a make-or-break meeting was called.
Coach Ian Gorowa headed straight to his room from the aborted training and he was later to go into another closed meeting at 2008 hours only to walk out at 2038 hours to have his supper.
There was no immediate position from the leadership after the marathon meetings.
But while the players' concerns appeared genuine, suspicion is that a group of players who have no future in the team influenced the boycott.
Yesterday's incident brought to a chaotic end the team's expedition.
The players went to the field for the session that should have started at 5PM but refused to train.
They are pressing for outstanding bonuses after lasting the distance in the tournament. The players have allegedly not been rewarded financially for their success which saw them lose in the semi-finals of the continental tournament meant for locally based players. It is the country's best performance in international football but yesterday the boys chose to boycott training to press for payment.
Coaches waited for more than an hour while the head of delegation and Zifa board member responsible for marketing Nigel Munyati addressed the players.
Training was eventually called off.
The players headed to the hotel where they went into a meeting which was addressed by team manager Sharrif Mussa and the coaches.
Boycotting the third place play off against Nigeria at the Cape Town Stadium does not look like an option for the Warriors given the repercussions.
They look set to go into battle without preparing for the match and low on motivation.
By reaching the semi-finals, the Warriors earned themselves $250,000 but such funds cannot be made available immediately.
Munyati tried to play down the boycott saying it was a day for light training, which he claimed they did. The players fear that they will be abandoned if they disperse before the money is paid out. They cannot fight Zifa individually hence the collective job action and with perhaps a new Zifa to take over, it would be difficult for the players to get their money.
Zifa are more than $4 million in the red.
Several Warriors coaches are still owed by Zifa despite their contracts having terminated over three years ago.
With the tournament officially ending today, the players have to vacate the Garden Court Hotel, accommodation provided by the Local Organising Committee tomorrow.
However, the Warriors are only scheduled to leave for Harare on Monday night. This means they might have to look for their own accommodation tomorrow night yet they are owed bonuses.
It emerged later in the evening that Zifa had told the players how the $250,000 would be split.
The players' share would have been net after the national association would have deducted money for outstanding bonuses.
The players ended their closed meeting at 8PM just as they were getting ready for supper a make-or-break meeting was called.
Coach Ian Gorowa headed straight to his room from the aborted training and he was later to go into another closed meeting at 2008 hours only to walk out at 2038 hours to have his supper.
There was no immediate position from the leadership after the marathon meetings.
But while the players' concerns appeared genuine, suspicion is that a group of players who have no future in the team influenced the boycott.
Source - chronicle
