Yadah’s Brazilian raid backfires . . .Fined heavily by FIFA, face ban from buying players

07 Jul, 2024 - 00:07 0 Views
Yadah’s Brazilian raid backfires . . .Fined heavily by FIFA, face ban from buying players WHEN IT WAS ALL SMILES . . . Yadah Stars owner and president Walter Magaya (second from left) poses for a picture with Deivid Pereira de Brito (left), Juan Luciano Faria and Joao Pedro Marques Barcellos during their unveiling ceremony at Yadah Hotel on July 17, 2023

Petros Kausiyo

PREMIER Soccer League side Yadah Stars are in trouble after FIFA came down hard on the ambitious club, fining them a staggering US$82 000 for breaching their expatriate players’ contracts.

Yadah, who have been given until July 27 to pay the penalty, also risk being banned from registering new players locally and internationally for three consecutive transfer windows, should they fail to meet the payment within 45 days of the judgment.

The penalties emanate from Yadah’s breaches in terms of the contracts they had entered into with the Brazilian trio of Joao Pedro Marques Barcellos, Juan Luciano Faria and Deivid Pereira de Brito.

Ironically, Yadah staged a glitzy unveiling ceremony for the trio on July 14, 2023, with the club purring over their arrival, described as “marque signings’’.

Nearly a year later, the relationship turned sour after Yadah offloaded the Brazilians without satisfying FIFA-approved procedures.

Yadah chairperson Everson Chatambudza did not respond to questions sent to him over the matter, although the “Miracle Boys’’ still have room to appeal against the FIFA ruling.

It has emerged that the South Americans, unhappy about the treatment they received from Yadah, took their matter to FIFA on May 10. Yadah reportedly terminated the players’ contracts a few months after bringing them on board, but FIFA felt it was “without just cause’’.

And on June 12, a FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) ruled on the matter, ordering Yadah to pay each of the three players “US$19 580, plus 5 percent interest per annum from April 4, 2024 until the date of effective payment’’.

In a lengthy ruling, FIFA directed Yadah to pay the three players US$1 220 each for every month between November 1, 2023 to April 1, 2024, which is the period during which the Prophetic Healing Deliverance Ministries-owned club did not meet their side of the bargain. FIFA have since notified ZIFA and the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) about the sanctions on Yadah.

Part of the ruling in Barcellos favour, which was also identical to those issued in favour of de Brito and Faria, reads: “The claim of the claimant, Joao Pedro Marques Barcellos, is accepted.

“The respondent, Yadah FC, must pay to the claimant the following amount(s): date of effective payment and — US$19 580 as compensation for breach of contract without just cause plus 5 percent interest p.a. as from April 4, 2024 until the date of effective payment.

“Pursuant to art. 24 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, if full payment (including all applicable interest) is not made within 45 days of notification of this decision, the following consequences shall apply:

The Respondent shall be banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, up until the due amount is paid

The maximum duration of the ban shall be up to three entire and consecutive registration periods

The present matter shall be submitted, upon request, to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in the event that full payment (including all applicable interest) is still not made by the end of the three entire and consecutive registration periods’’.

Some of the facts around the dispute, which FIFA noted, were that Yadah entered into employment contracts with the three players on July 18, 2023, which were to expire on June 30, 2025.

“In accordance with the contract, the Player(s) was entitled to:

“A signing on fee of US$5 000 to be paid in two equal instalments upon signature of the contract and by July 31, 2024.

“A monthly salary of US$1 200, a camping allowance of US$20.

“The club failed to pay the salaries for the months of October, November and December 2023 as well as January and February 2024.

“On December 21, 2023, the player returned to Brazil for the season break and the club did not provide a return ticket to the player (Clause 4),’’ FIFA said in their outline.

They also noted that Barcellos had on February 22 informed Yadah that the situation between the club and the player “was unacceptable’’ and gave them 15 days within which “to remedy the breaches’’.

The club did not reply nor did it remedy the breaches.

Barcellos, according to FIFA, then followed up with Yadah in March, but that, too, did not yield any results.

“In good faith on March 20, 2024, the player sent a second notice, detailing the breaches and requesting the club to clarify within the next three days their intentions towards him, and in particular whether he is still a player of the club, registered and able to play official matches.

“Pay the amount of US$6 000 corresponding to the salaries from October 2023 to February 2024 within 7 days.

“The club did not respond nor remedy the breaches. Worse, the salary for the month of March 2024 fell due and no payment was made.

“In view of the foregoing, on April 4, 2024, the player took note of the club’s disinterest and understood the club had terminated the contract without just cause.

“In view of the foregoing, the player had no option left but to present the claim before the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber in order to request his outstanding salaries and compensation due to the club’s termination of the employment contract without just cause,’’ added FIFA.

Yadah become the second football institution in the country after ZIFA to be sanctioned by FIFA in a matter involving Brazilians.

In July 2015, FIFA expelled Zimbabwe from the 2018 World Cup draw after ZIFA had failed to settle US$60 000 owed to ex-Warriors coach Valinhos.

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