Troubled Monomotapa lifts suspension of key players

Maphosa and other key players striker Daniel Zokoto, defender Luckymore Simango and goalkeeper Godfrey Mangove were suspended by the team management last Thursday following an industrial action by the players over pay issues.

They were seen as the ring leaders of the industrial action which the club chiefs say is an act of sarbotage.

Monomotapa who were handed a humiliating 5-0 defeat by TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo in an African Champions League first leg tie in Lubumbashi two weeks ago saw players downing their tools as they refused to train after the team returned from DRC .
The players alleged that they were not being paid their salaries and bonuses for their participation in the African Safari. The team management acknowledged that they were struggling to pay the players as they had a lean purse .
The Premier Soccer League management led by chairman Tapuwa Matangaidze had to interven to stop the impasse between the players and the management by bailing out the club to enable them to pay the players their dues. Club Secretary David Makombe said players were paid a portion of the bonuses due to them for participation in the Confederation of African Football’s Champions League competition following intervention by the Premier Soccer League. He said the suspension of the four players had also been lifted following negotiations with the management.

Team captain Maphosa confirmed to The Zimbabwean on Sunday the partial payments and said negotiations with the management had gone well and that their suspension had been lifted. “Our suspension has been lifted. As you can see we have started training,” he said as the team went through their paces. We were coming for negotiations one by one. The negotiations have gone on well. We have been paid partly by the PSL and everyone is now happy although there is still some outstanding salaries,” said Maphosa.