Cash-strapped ZRU can’t pay players

o got the contracts are Fortune Chipendo, Willis Magasa, Tangai ‘Too Bad’ Nemadire, Jacques Leitao, Brendan Brider, Tafadzwa Mhende, Wes Mbanje, Slater Ndlovu, Roy Ormerod, Craig Elcombe, Allan Mdehwa and Emmanuel Munyoro.
Bruce Hobson, the Zimbabwe Rugby Union president and Cheetahs manager, said they would only resume paying the players during the duration of the International Rugby Board World Sevens series.
“We have stopped paying the salaries because of cash constraints. The figures had also become insignificant due to inflation. We should be resuming paying out the salaries in October, when the team play in the world ‘s 7’s series,” Hobson said.
When pilot project started in February, the Zimbabwe Rugby Union managed to raise $1 billion on horse-race day, which was to go towards the salaries and allowances of the players.
The Zimbabwe Cheetahs team will participate in three out of the eight tournaments in the 2007/08 International Rugby Board Sevens World Series.
The Cheetahs have in the past been invited to two tournaments in Dubai and George, South Africa. According to the schedule released Zimbabwe will start their campaign in Dubai from 30 November to 1 December.
The George, South Africa series will be played from 7-8 December. The Hong Kong edition will be played from 28-30 March next year.
The IRB Sevens circuit consists of tournaments played in Dubai, South Africa, New Zealand, USA, Hong Kong, Australia, England and Scotland from June to December.
It features 16 of the world’s best sides, and currently, the core teams are Fiji, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Samoa, Australia, Scotland, France, Tunisia and Argentina. – CAJ News