Times Of Swaziland: PAY ME OR FACE FIFA – WANDERERS’ ADJA

PAY ME OR FACE FIFA – WANDERERS’ ADJA
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BY CHRIS DLAMINI on 15/09/2021 08:45:00


MBABANE – “They terminate my contract then they must pay me. I got one year
left with them.”
These are the words of former Mhlume Peacemakers foreign goalkeeper Innocent
Adja Obodoi, who left the side to join hub giants  Manzini Wanderers last
season. Adja signed a two-year contract with the ‘Weslians’ but after just
one season, he was last Friday released by the club. He was among several other
released big names like South African winger Sphamandla Dhlamini and former
Mbabane Highlanders captain and central defender Jimoh Moses. “They informed
us in a meeting today (last Friday) that we had been released because they
can’t afford to pay our salaries. They owe me three months’ salary plus
signing-on fee. The salary is around E30 000. Let’s see what happens, but as
an international player I’ll go to FIFA.
Money
“I need my money,” Adja said when responding to questions by this author,
but asked not to go into the signing-on figures. FIFA is an acronym for
Federation of International Football Associations. Meanwhile, Adja said he was
well aware of his rights as a player and under the circumstances, he would
expect Wanderers to have paid him what was due to him and then terminate the
contract than seeking an easy way out. Worth mentioning is that even last
season, the hub side released nearly the whole squad and replaced it with new
players. When they released their previous stars, the team owed them salaries
for several months, but assured to settle its debts. It has happened again and
the departing players are owed salaries for about three months. The team’s PRO
and acting Management Committee (MC) Chairman, Mlungisi ‘Mluga’ Ndzinisa,
did not answer his cellphone when sought for comment while also not responding
to a text sent to him through WhatsApp.
Transfers
He had confirmed the player and others’ transfers last Friday as reported by
our sister publication, the Eswatini News last Saturday. Meanwhile, if it
happened that Wanderers were reported to FIFA or CAF (Confederation of African
Football), the club would be compelled to pay the player or face suspension from
CAF tournaments or the domestic league. It is a requirement that clubs provide
their financial budgets annually to be given the licence to registration for the
new season to avoid issues of unpaid salaries and failure to honour
international matches.