FUB demands players protection in BPL saga
Staff Writer | Tuesday April 12, 2016 11:35
The players’ union wants the players rights to be respected in the ongoing crisis.
The BFA circular followed the BPL disciplinary committee ruling over the protest lodged by Mochudi Centre Chiefs against rivals, Township Rollers.
Chiefs had argued during their submissions that both Terrence Mandaza and Ofentse Nato were defaulters since Rollers had exceeded the quota required at the BPL. Chiefs wanted Rollers to be booted out of the Mascom Top 8 since they used “defaulters”.
However, the DC ruled that all Premier League sides including Chiefs had also not complied with the rule and therefore could not be granted the relief they sought.
The issue prompted the BFA national executive committee’s (NEC) intervention when it warned all teams to comply by Friday last week.
However, things took a nasty turn when BPL board convened a meeting on Friday over the BFA NEC’s decision and threatened to cancel the weekend’s games. BFA on the other hand also threatened stern action against teams that would fail to honour their games. Following the intervention of the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC), the BFA backtracked on their decision to allow for the BPL schedule to continue.
However, FUB has since expressed concern over the BFA’s earlier decision saying it would prejudice their members. The FUB secretary general, Kgosana Masaseng said their members could not be made to suffer because of an administrative lapse from the BPL secretariat.
“The decision taken by NEC although arising from the negligence of the administrators of the Premier League has been thrown at our members who are completely innocent in this matter,” Masaseng said in a statement.
“In light of all, it is our position that the above is tantamount to terminating the contract which the players have with the teams.”
Masaseng said as professional players, they are not athletes but team players and cannot be expected to train without any competitive match. He added that their exclusion from the playing squad was as a result of negligence by administrators who would continue to keep their jobs and every benefit that goes with it.
“We believe that such actions stand to destroy the relationship of mutual trust and confidence which is essential to any employment relationship as it breaches the player’s right to work and the clubs’ express obligation to act in good faith to the player,” he said.