FCB Nyasa Big Bullets insist want-away left-fullback Alick Lungu must honour his contract before leaving the People’s Team.
Recently, Bullets refused to clear Lungu from leaving the club earlier before the expiry of his contract in July.
Bullets acting Chief Executive Officer Albert Chigoga said they were not blocking the player but wanted him to serve his contract.
He was reacting to comments made by Football Players Association (FPA) General Secretary Ernest Mangani regarding want-away left-back Alick Lungu.
In an interview with our sister paper the Malawi News, FPA General Secretary Ernest Mangani said Bullets should practice fair labour practices.
“As FPA we feel this is totally unfair labour practice. It was not the intention of the player to get injured. This is why we are pushing for a policy that puts the FPA at a position where it is recognised as a watchdog for such exploitative conduct.
“Like any other employee, a player must enjoy benefits freely without such unreasonable conditions. The player better leave the club and the team has an obligation to release him formally,” Mangani was quoted.
However, Chigoga said FPA needs to reboot its reasoning on issues that border on player welfare, contracts and their obligations as stipulated in both Fifa and Football Association of Malawi (Fam) RSTP [Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players] regarding the professional players under contract.
“The governing principle in football entails that football players must respect their contracts. By reminding the players of their obligation does not mean the club is not compliant with labour laws. I wonder if labour laws encourage employees to disregard their contractual obligation.
“Both Fam and Fifa RSTPs allow parties to the contract to terminate on just cause. This implies that a player cannot just wake up and demand for the termination of their contract as if the club has failed to carry out its contractual obligations,” Chigoga said.
Chigoga said they did not refuse to release Lungu but wanted him to see out his contract.
“The issue is the player’s failure to respect his contract he signed with us. At no time did Bullets say we want the player to stay because we cared for him. No! We are simply reminding him about his obligations,” he said.
However, Mangani said Bullets did not understand their comments.
“Why are they misquoting us? We have not said that players should disrespect the terms of their contracts. What we are saying is that players like any other citizen and like any other employed person have a right to take decisions on their employment without inducement.
“You cannot force a player to leave a club. You can only terminate or conclude a contract. We are the players’ voices on contractual matters. We cannot encourage players to break the law. We can only open the players’ eyes so that their bargaining power is enhanced. And if Bullets are following the law fairly, we would not have any issues with them.
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