FORMER Chicken Inn defender Lawrence Mhlanga will be further sidelined despite being cleared by the Zifa Players Status Committee after the Bulawayo side appealed against the decision arguing that they had not been afforded an opportunity to tell their side of the story.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The development sets aside an earlier ruling by the Zifa Player’s Status Committee and Mhlanga who intends to play for FC Platinum will have to sit it out.
The centre-back who has been at the centre of an ownership wrangle between Chicken Inn and FC Platinum was cleared by the Zifa Player’s Status Committee a week ago to play to join a club of his choice.
Chicken Inn were fined $1 000 for withholding the player’s licence which prevented him from joining any other side.
The defender was cleared to join a club of his choice by Zifa at the end of last year but Chicken Inn challenged the decision on the basis that it was not done by the relevant committee.
Chicken Inn are also contesting the decision by the Zifa Players’ Status Committee to clear the player citing a number of irregularities including the fact that they were not given a chance to make their submissions.
They are also challenging the fact that the Players’ Status Committee and the player are misguided in not taking into account the status of the player in 2017.
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The Bulawayo side had on April 5 written to Zifa requesting a copy of the player’s nature of complaint against them and a copy of the proof of payment for the matter to be heard by the Players’ Status Committee and the proof that the same matter is no longer before the Labour court.
Zifa did not respond to this. And Chicken Inn through their secretary general Tawenga Hara, wrote to the Zifa Appeals Committee noting an appeal against their decision to clear the player.
“Please take note that Chicken Inn Football Club is noting an Appeal against the decision of the Zifa Player Status Committee dated 16th April of 2018 on the following grounds.
Chicken Inn Football Club was not heard and not given a chance to make its submissions.
Chicken Inn Football Club rightfully requested for further particulars (player’s complaint) for it to make its submissions out that was that was not provided.
The Status Committee and the player are misguided in not taking into account the status of the player in 2017.
The Committee rushed to make decisions by ignoring the fact that the matter is pending before the court since 2017.
The Committee dealt with a matter as if it was a 2018 matter, but it is a 2017 matter before them.
It failed to take into account that the player was illegally cleared and registered to play Caf inter club competition.
The Committee legally failed to prove that the player paid the required fees for the matter to be heard.
Further take notice that the our notice of intention to appeal on the above grounds suspends whatever the committee deliberate and come up with until the Appeal is heard and finalised.”
Chicken Inn are not contesting the player’s current status, but that of 2017, when he still had a contract with them and they could not use their player.
Mhlanga sat out the whole of last season as the matter dragged on and with seven matches having been played so far he could miss out at least half the season with no end in sight in the matter.
