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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
CAPS United and Bulawayo Chiefs are reportedly holding on to clearance letters of striker Newman Sianchali and Shadreck Nyahwa, who have been training with Dynamos.

The two sides reportedly turned down Dynamos’ electronic transfer requests for the two players, arguing that the players have contractual obligations with their clubs.

Sianchali was at Caps United, while Nyahwa belonged to Chiefs.

On Friday, PSL clubs agreed to stick to Zifa guidelines on player contracts, adding that clubs that “poach” other teams’ players should pay compensation.

Zifa advised on the last day of 2020 that contracts due to expire on December 31 rollover into 2021.

With the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (Fuz) saying they don’t recognise the “contract rollover” issue, clubs are headed for collision with the players’ union.

The argument on player contracts could have been avoided had Zifa issued the guidelines in the same month that Fifa pronounced on the matter following the suspension of sporting activities due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Fifa’s guidelines involving player contracts and movements during the Covid-19 were issued in April last year.

Throughout 2020 local clubs continued to pay players’ salaries without football being played and pestered Zifa to give direction, but the national association only responded on December 31.

Emerging from the PSL annual general meeting last Friday, the league’s chairman Farai Jere told our Harare Bureau that the thorny issue of contracts, which affected the clubs, had threatened to derail football resumption.

“We had a lawyer, and that lawyer clarified issues which have been outstanding, which have been very pertinent and critical to both players and the clubs,” he said.

“The clarification was very clear, and it’s actually in line with the recommendations from FIifa, which actually gave us comfort that it actually came from the lawyers. The lawyer took us from the definition of a contract,” Jere told our Harare Bureau.

Jere said a contract has terms or services that are supposed to be provided, so if the service is not provided, the clubs have a right to claim.

He felt a club that wants a player that was fully paid in 2020 must compensate the club which paid that player’s signing-on fee and entire salary. – @ZililoR