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Fight for Liberty

Sport
FC PLATINUM’S number one transfer target Liberty Chakoroma has been caught up in an ownership wrangle with Ngezi Platinum claiming ownership of the player while Buffaloes also claim that the midfielder has a running contract with them.

FC PLATINUM’S number one transfer target Liberty Chakoroma has been caught up in an ownership wrangle with Ngezi Platinum claiming ownership of the player while Buffaloes also claim that the midfielder has a running contract with them.

by TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA/KENNETH NYANGANI

Ngezi Platinum argues that the player signed a two-year contract with them which runs until December 31 next year.

According to the platinum miners, the player signed for them after his deal with Buffaloes had lapsed.

FC Platinum, who are putting together a squad for the Caf Champions league, have already opened negotiations with Buffaloes with a view to signing him.

However, Ngezi Platinum claimed yesterday that Chakoroma is still their player and that FC Platinum should be negotiating with them instead.

“The position is that Chakoroma signed a two-year contract with Ngezi Platinum. His contract with Ngezi Platinum is renewable and because he is a Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) employee, we have an obligation to discuss with his employers, which the club is already doing. Unfortunately if FC Platinum are interested in the player, they have to talk to Ngezi Platinum because from a football perspective, he is a Ngezi Platinum player,” said coach Tonderai Ndiraya.

Ngezi Platinum secretary Cloette Munjoma concurred. “As far as we are concerned, Chakoroma has a contract with us. We also have an arrangement with his employers (ZNA). You can check the status of the player with the Premier Soccer League (PSL),” he said.

Efforts to get comment from the PSL were unsuccessful, but informed sources said the status of the player according to PSL records shows that he has a contract with Ngezi Platinum which runs out on December 31 this year.

The claim by Ngezi Platinum, however, drew the ire of Buffaloes secretary Arnold Gatsi who accused the platinum miners of entering into a deal with the player behind their back. The Buffaloes secretary said their contract with Chakoroma runs out on December 31 next year.

“The official position is that Chakoroma is on the verge of joining FC Platinum. He can join them any time from now. FC Platinum have approached us over the services of the player and they want to offer him a two-year contract. There are some contractual terms that also need to be finalised. I have a copy of the player’s contract. Whatever, Ngezi Platinum did to end up signing the player, they did it behind our back,” charged Gatsi.

After losing Gerald Takwara to South African side Ajax Cape Town, FC Platinum are desperate for a replacement.

FC Platinum have also looked to West Africa to strengthen their squad for the campaign and are currently assessing two strikers from that part of the continent, Ghanaian midfielder Ibrahim Dauda and Cameroonian teenager Albert Eonde.

On the domestic scene, they are targeting several players including Highlanders captain Rahman Kutsanzira and the Ngezi Platinum duo of Chakoroma and Qadr Amini, among others. The Zvishavane side were paired against Angolan football giants Deportivo Lero Agosto in a draw conducted at the Caf headquarters in Egypt last week.

Should FC Platinum overcome the Angolan champions, they will face the winner between South African side Bidvest Wits and Pamplemousse of Mauritius in the first round.