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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
AT a time local football authorities are yet to give guidelines on how clubs should deal with expiring player contracts during the Covid-19 lockdown, renowned agent George Deda is hunting for strikers to export to East Africa and the cash-rich Arab world.

Deda, who has established strong contacts in East Africa, particularly Tanzania where he has facilitated moves for former Highlanders’ winger Bruce Kangwa, national team midfielder Tafadzwa Kutinyu and Never Tigere, announced on Facebook yesterday that he is looking for a striker between the ages of 22 and 26 years.

Deda is one of the country’s only five recognised player intermediaries and also has links in Zambia and West Africa. He indicated that he is looking for a striker with national team caps, who is about to be a free agent or is in the last year of his contract.

“Looking for a young good striker aged between 22 and 26 years. Please inbox with good videos. Preferably a free agent end of this month August or should have less than one-year contract. A youth international or with (senior) national caps preferred. Must be strong and very quick,” wrote Deda on his Facebook timeline.

Zimbabwe has few youth international strikers plying their trade in the local league, which has been on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among strikers that are in the age-range Deda is looking for are last year’s Soccer Star of the Year second runner-up Prince Dube of Highlanders, Chicken Inn’s Obriel Chirinda, Triangle United forward Delic Murimba, Harare City’s Wilfred Muvirimi as well as Caps United’s Mandla Mlilo.

All these players have contracts that either expire at the end of the year or are in the last 12 months.

At the beginning of the year, Dube and Murimba attracted strong interest from China and Dube even went for trials, although nothing materialised.

Responding to Deda’s Facebook post, former Warriors players Cephas Chimedza and Alois Bunjira said it would be difficult for the agent to get a talented striker without a contract.

“But the good players are not free though,” wrote Bunjira.

Belgium-based Chimedza said: “I have had such discussions with some people, they contact me and say I have a good player, he is free. And I’m thinking it’s difficult to convince a team that a boy in Zimbabwe who is very good is unattached.”

Bosso striker Tinashe Makanda (26), whose contract expired in June alongside teammate Brian Banda, who reportedly signed a pre-contract with champions FC Platinum at the beginning of the year, is among a host of footballers hoping to cash in on new deals at financially viable clubs.

The PSL has since approached the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (Fuz) and the World Leagues Forum for advice on how best clubs can be protected since they have been paying players without action.

“We have received enquiries from some clubs on how expired or expiring player contracts are to be handled. It was our hope that the national association (Zifa) would come up with a clear policy position.

“Since there have been no clear guidelines from the FA, we have engaged the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe to discuss a win-win situation.

“We have further engaged the World Leagues Forum to give us guidance,” wrote PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele in a letter to clubs dated July 29. — @ZililoR