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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
MORALE is reportedly low at the home of Castle Lager Premier Soccer League newcomers Bulawayo Chiefs, with players alleging they have not been paid for four months.

Chiefs have had a bright start in their maiden Premiership season, being in the top eight after nine games.

The side that is made up of unheralded players have amassed 11 points and are above seasoned clubs like Dynamos who are at number 10 with nine points, Black Rhinos at number 12 and Chapungu who are fourth from the bottom.

Chiefs have performed better than teams with steady financial backing like Yadah, DeMbare, Black Rhinos, Herentals, Chapungu, Bulawayo City, Mutare City and ZPC Kariba.

Along the way, Chiefs have claimed the scalp of defending champions FC Platinum who they beat 2-0. They also managed to hold former champions Caps United to a 2-2 draw.

Tomorrow they play Triangle United at Gibbo Stadium, with morale having hit rock bottom.

“We haven’t been paid for four months but we’ve been told that the club will get us something next week. The guys are down but we’ve been working hard so that we market ourselves. Imagine, we don’t get paid for draws whether home or away. As for winning bonuses we’re still getting $50 which we were getting paid when we were in Division One. They paid us the winning bonuses for the two games we won (1-0 against Chapungu and 2-0 against FC Platinum),” said a player.

The body language shown by the players during their 0-0 home draw against Herentals showed that all was not well at Chiefs. The players were not committing themselves like they used to and the team dropped valuable points.

Spokesperson Dumisani Mantula-Sibanda said the club is committed to honouring the contractual obligations they have with players.

“We don’t want anything that will jeopardise our campaign and I can assure you, the club director is working hard to make sure that everyone is happy.

You know that Chiefs take care of its staff and I can only comment on the salaries matter once I’ve met with the rest of the executive and the club president,” said Mantula-Sibanda.

Fifa said with effect from next month, players will be free to terminate their contracts if their clubs fail to pay them for at least two consecutive months, meaning that Chiefs should address the salaries issue with urgency.

“For any salaries of a player which are not due on a monthly basis, the pro-rata value corresponding to two months shall be considered. Delayed payment of an amount which is equal to at least two months shall also be deemed a just cause for the player to terminate his contract,” Fifa said.

Chiefs need to address the discord as soon as possible and keep their players focused on delivering.

They leave for Triangle without two key players, playmaker Perfect Tatenda Chikwende and striker Farawu Matare who are nursing injuries.
They will bank on creative midfielder Arthur Musiiwa, utility player Moses Majika, goalkeeper Kelvin Nyoni, defender Marlvin Mkolo and striker Kundishora Chakanyuka among other players.

Triangle will be hoping to return to winning ways after their five-match winning streak was brought to a halt by Harare City who beat them 1-0 in Harare on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, former champions Chicken Inn and Bulawayo City clash in a local derby at Luveve Stadium this afternoon.

Bulawayo City are swimming in the murky relegation waters and will be hoping to build from their midweek 3-0 win over Nichrut.

Chicken Inn on the other hand are fighting to enhance their championship hopes.

Table
P    W    D    L    F    A    GD    Pts
Ngezi Platinum    9    7    2    0    11    2    9    23
FC Platinum    9    7    1    1    13    3    10    22
Highlanders    9    6    2    1    12    5    7    20
Chicken Inn    9    4    4    1    11    6    5    16
Triangle United    9    5    1    3    10    8    2    16
Caps United    9    4    3    2    12    8    4    15
Harare City    9    3    5    1    7    5    2    14
Bulawayo Chiefs    9    2    5    2    8    8    0    11
Yadah FC    9    2    4    3    9    11    -2    10
Dynamos    9    2    3    4    8    10    -2    9
Nichrut    9    2    3    4    9    12    -3    9
Black Rhinos    9    2    3    4    5    8    -3    9
Herentials    9    2    3    4    3    8    -5    9
Shabanie Mine    9    1    5    3    10    15    -5    8
Chapungu    9    2    2    5    7    13    -6    8
Bulawayo City    9    2    1    6    9    10    -1    7
Mutare City    9    1    2    6    7    11    -4    5
ZPC Kariba    9    0    5    4    3    10    -7    5