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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

FIFA and the world players’ union Fifpro have set up a US$16 million global fund that will be channelled towards part payment of salaries to players owed by clubs, some of which would have folded.

The Fifa Fund for Football Players (Fifa FFP) will provide financial support to players that have not been and will not be paid by their clubs. 

It will be split into a yearly allocation up to 2022 and will become operational from July 1.

Of the total amount, Fifa said US$5 million was set aside for players affected between July 2015 and June 2020.

A number of Zimbabwean teams have folded since 2015, presumably owing players varying amounts in salaries. 

Clubs such as Dongo Sawmills, Tsholotsho, Border Strikers, How Mine, Bantu Rovers and Nichrut quickly come to mind.

The fund will be divided as follows: US$3 million in 2020, US$4m in 2021 and US$4m in 2022.

Fifa said recent reports, including Fifpro’s own 2016 Global Employment Report: Working Conditions in Professional Football, have attested to the proliferation of cases involving non-payment of players’ salaries across the world. 

In 2019, Fifa revised its disciplinary code, wherein it bolstered the framework for dealing with non-payment of players’ wages, with players allowed to terminate their contracts if their clubs fail to pay them for at least two consecutive months.

In a statement, Fifa said the latest agreement envisages the establishment of a monitoring committee composed of Fifa and Fifpro representatives to process, assess and act on applications for grants from the Fifa FFP.

“While these grants will not cover the full amount of salaries owed to players, this fund will provide an important safety net,” said Fifa.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the agreement and “our commitment to helping players in a difficult situation show how we interpret our role as world football’s governing body”.

He said the world football governing body was “here to reach out to those in need, especially within the football community, and that starts with the players, who are the key figures in our game”.

Commenting on the landmark development, Fifpro president Philippe Piat said: “More than 50 clubs in 20 countries have shut in the last five years, plunging hundreds of footballers into uncertainty and hardship. 

“This fund will provide valuable support to those players and families most in need. Many of these clubs have shut to avoid paying outstanding wages, immediately re-forming as so-called new clubs. Fifpro has long campaigned against this unscrupulous practice and thanks Fifa for combating it in its disciplinary code.”