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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS are about to reap rewards for the role they played in the development of Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba and Turkey-based defender Teenage Hadebe about a decade ago.

Nakamba turned out for Highlanders in 2007 and 2008, touring Durban, South Africa with Bosso as an Under-15 player in a 2008 competition dubbed “One World Football Tournament” before moving to Bantu Rovers in 2009. That Highlanders Under-15 team that toured Durban was coached by experienced juniors’ gaff er Dumaza Dube.

The tournament featured Turkish giants Galatasaray and Team Inziar, Leport of France, China’s Gonzhong, New Orleans of United States and the hosts Team Durban.

Bosso seem to have struck “gold” as they are reportedly close to receiving solidarity payment for the national team midfielder, who joined the English Premiership side last year, as well as Hadebe, who turns out for Yeni Malatyaspor.

According to media reports, Nakamba joined Aston Villa for the reported fee of £10 million. Hadebe moved to Turkey last year as a free agent aft er the Afcon finals that were held in Egypt.

The Highlanders’ secretariat has been pushing for the solidarity payment.

“The solidarity payment for Nakamba and Hadebe is more of a victory for the club, as it spent almost the whole year busy pursuing the matter. I think now things are 90 percent to fruition and the money will help the club build some legacy,” said a source.

Teenage Hadebe

Highlanders were once a powerhouse in junior football development.

Bosso spokesperson Ronald Moyo confirmed that they are in the final stages of pursuing the solidarity payments, adding that it’s one of the revenue streams that can benefit the club.

“It’s what we have been working on. We have been doing all the necessary paperwork in accordance with Fifa guidelines regarding the subject you are asking about. It’s one of many other revenue streams and projects we are pursuing that are set to immensely benefit the club in the long run,” said Moyo.

According to Fifa Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), training and development, “a club is compensated when a player, prior to the end of the season of his 23rd birthday, signs his first contract to play professionally in another country (called Training Compensation)”, and when a player is subsequently transferred at any age between clubs in different countries before the expiration of his current contract in exchange for a transfer fee (called a Solidarity Payment).

Under the Fifa Regulations, when a player registers as a professional for the first time in a country other than the one where he did his training, the club with which he registers is responsible for paying Training Compensation to every club that contributed to his training, starting from the season of his 12th birthday through the season of his 21st birthday.

Additionally, training compensation is due on a player’s subsequent international transfer through the season of his 23rd birthday to his immediately prior professional club.

Training Compensation is calculated on a sliding scale, based on indicative amounts applicable to the geographic region and the calibre of the club signing the player.

The designation of a category for a particular club is determined by how much it spends on youth development, as assessed by the applicable Fifa member association.

For solidarity payment under the Fifa Regulations, any time that a professional player is transferred (whether on a temporary or on a permanent basis) from a club in one Fifa member association to a club in another federation during the course of his contract, up to five percent of the transfer fee is to be withheld and paid by the club receiving the player proportionally to the club(s) involved in that player’s training during the years between his 12th and 23rd birthdays.

Unlike Training Compensation, which is only paid for players that have not yet reached the end of their 23rd birthday, Solidarity Payments will be due for the duration of a player’s professional career, any time he is transferred between federations while under contract and a transfer fee is paid.

Fifa allows for the transferor and transferee clubs to agree among themselves as to who bears the financial cost of any Solidarity Payment(s), and/or in what proportions. Relatedly, in the same way that it is possible for clubs to waive or modify their right to receive Training Compensation, it is also possible for a club to waive or modify its right to receive Solidarity Payment. – @ZililoR