Mochudi Centre Chiefs players who are already in their fifth month without salary payments are demanding that the team pays them from the league prize money.
According to Chiefs captain Lesego Galenamotlhale, they have approached the Footballers Union Botswana (FUB) to assist them in getting their unpaid salaries from the team management.
Galenamotlhale said they had since come to an agreement with the Chiefs management concerning the welfare of players. “The management has made a commitment and assured players that they will pay us from the league prize money.
Towards the end of the season Chiefs players where week in and week out boycotting training session due to unpaid wages. At some matches they would arrive late because there were delays with issues of transport and to some games they team did not travel as a unit.
Contacted for comment FUB secretary general Kgosana Masaseng confirmed the agreement. “Chiefs management has a signed agreement with players that the players will share 70 percent of the prize money by the time the team get the money,” Masaseng.
He explained that FUB is the one that facilitated dialogue between the players and the management and the former is the one that helped in drafting the agreement.
“The agreement was signed by players and team chairperson, Raymond Tsheko. We are confident that Chiefs will pay players according to the agreed model,” Masaseng. Chiefs finished in position seven and they are to get P190 000 as prize money. And if players are to share the 70 percent of the money means the team will share out P133 000.
He explained FUB is are constrained to intervene with the agreement of the employer and employee but can only hope that the management will voluntarily credit the players accounts as the agreement say.
“It is difficult for a third party to come and enforce the agreement of the two parties. We are optimistic that the management will do the honourable thing. We can only intervene when nothing happens and of now we hope for the best,” Masaseng said.
Galenamotlhale observed that the Chiefs management was poor in addressing the welfare and concerns of the team. “We had a rough season and our management was not timely in addressing the problems we faced. This past season the management was poor,” Galenamotlhale said.
Asked what the way forward was, he said: “We are looking for opportunities elsewhere for the coming season; we cannot afford to labour without being paid. We have families and we have to feed them.”
The past season was Chiefs worse for the team. The team model of privatisation did not bear any fruit.
The business mogul who partnered with the club withdrew his services which put it in disarray.
