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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
PREMIER Soccer League champions FC Platinum and Chicken Inn both want to sign Highlanders central midfielder Brian Banda, whose contract with the Bulawayo giants lapsed on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old has established himself as a vital player at Bosso and is among a host of players in the domestic league whose contracts have expired without kicking a ball in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

His teammate Tinashe Makanda as well as Chicken Inn goalkeeper Pride Zendera are some notable players whose contracts have expired.

Sources said Banda has been “consulting widely” before making a decision.

“BB (Banda) is waiting to hear from Zifa whether he will be forced to continue at Highlanders or cleared to join a club of his choice following the expiry of his contract he renewed with Bosso in 2018. He had made his intentions of leaving the club known to those close to him.

“Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas is an admirer of BB and wanted him to be part of his squad long back. The other thing is that FC Platinum coach Hendrik Pieter de Jongh worked well with BB last year at Bosso and could lure him to Zvishavane. Where BB lands will depend on what Zifa decides on players’ contracts,” said a source.

Zifa is yet to communicate to its affiliates a raft of Fifa guidelines to be followed post the Covid-19 pandemic regarding player movement.

On expiring and commencing contracts, part of Fifa guidelines read: “Expiring player contracts usually end when the season ends, with a termination date that coincides with the end of the season. With the current suspension of play in most countries, it is now obvious that the current season will not end when people thought it would. Therefore, it is proposed that contracts be extended until such time that the season does actually end. This should be in line with the original intention of the parties when the contract was signed and should also preserve sporting integrity and stability. A similar principle applies to contracts due to begin when the new season starts, meaning the entry into force of such contracts is delayed until the next season actually does start.”

The above guideline is silent on contracts that expire during the course of the season, leaving local clubs and players vulnerable during the Covid-19 scourge.

Fifa guidelines favour leagues that are aligned to the world soccer body’s calendar that were already underway when Covid-19 struck.

Top European leagues like the popular English Preiership, La Liga of Spain and Germany’s Bundasliga have since resumed, making it possible for players whose contracts had expired in June to finish the season. — @ZililoR