ZIFA & Players “Agree To Withdraw From AFCON Tournament” As Payment Battle Continues

A stalemate between the Zimbabwe senior men soccer players, the Warriors and the management board ZIFA nearly resulted in the team withdrawn from the 2019 AFCON finals underway in Egypt. The standoff allegedly came after the players had told the Zifa officials that they would not resume training until US$12 500 each had been paid by today.

The Chronicle reports that ZIFA and the players held a number of meetings and could not agree on the issue. The association is said to have then advised the players that it was contemplating the possibility of withdrawing the team from the tournament and the players agreed to be sent home as early as today. They asked the Zifa leaders to make their travel arrangements as early as possible.

Zifa officials reportedly sent spokesman Xolisani Gwesela to check with CAF the cost of withdrawing from the tournament.

A number of players also confirmed they had told the Zifa officials they were ready to abandon camp and fly back home. One of the players said:

We were called in and told of the developments about the possible withdrawal from the tournament and we told them that we were ready to go home because we believe they haven’t fulfilled our contracts.

Reports also suggest that Tino Kadewere and Tafadzwa Kutinyu were set to be sent home for fighting in the camp.

Kuda Mahachi was also set to be sent home for going on social media to question why he was not being selected.

-State Media