Botswana Black Forrest flirting with FIFA ban

Another African club faces possible sanctions from the world controlling body for the violation of a player’s contract as FIFA comes down hard on errant clubs abusing football players.

Botswana Premier League club Black Forrest could find themselves in hot waters after FIFA ordered them to pay their former player Tonderai Nyakuba outstanding monies owed to the Zimbabwean player or risk action.

This is no idle threat as South African Premier League side AmaZulu owed their former player a certain amount, but reneged on paying the player his dues after cancelling his contract before expiry and Namibian Phinheas Nambandi sought redress from FIFA.

FIFA ordered that AmaZulu should pay the player R1.86-m and gave the KwaZulu Natal side a time frame. However, AmaZulu pointed a middle finger at the Zurich-based organization which proved their powers by ordering the SA Football Association to dock AmaZulu six points.

AmaZulu foolishly ignored the order under the impression that it was an idle threat but SAFA implemented FIFA’s order and the club found itself docked six points which plunged them to the bottom of the standings and in relegation.

Now Nyakuba has taken his grievances to FIFA who has discovered that the player signed a two-year contract with Black Forrest at a monthly salary of Pula5.500. But Forrest defaulted in payment and owes the player P32 900 (US$3,058).

In handing out judgement against Forrest, according to respected Botswana football correspondent Mosimanegape Tshoswane, FIFA said they discovered that Forrest failed to advance an appropriate reason on why they could not pay the player.

“In this regard,” reads the FIFA Judgement, “the Dispute Resolution Chamber judge considered that the circumstances raised by the respondent (Black Forrest) cannot be considered a valid reason for non-payment of the monies claimed by the complainant.

“Furthermore, FIFA has also observed that Black Forrest has delayed a due payment for more than 30-days without a prima facie contractual basis.

“FIFA then ordered the team to pay the player an interest of 5% on each of the relevant payment as of the day following the day on which payments fell due, until the day of effective payment.”

Nyakuba became the second player in Botswana to drag a Premier League club before a FIFA tribunal. Earlier this year, Gaborone United had to run like headless chicken when Bismarck Appiah took them to FIFA also seeking compensation.

Gaborone United were almost relegated as FIFA sought to impose a harsher sentence of points deduction and Forrest are warned to tread carefully around this matter or they would find themselves docked points that could cause them to drop to the lower division.