WESLIANS’ OVER E800K WINDFALL FOR STARS

MBABANE – It’s cash time for Manzini Wanderers players today.

 This is in respect of signing-on fees. While the Wanderers supporters continue their wait to officially meet their new boss, Cedric Mathatha of South Africa, Nelspruit, they can see activity that is seemingly showing a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. It has come out that all the new faces captured during their training early this week by this publication, have been signed.

Impeccable sources within the team’s top structures said all the 10 new players who were at their training ground have already put pen to paper.

“They will all be receiving their signing-on fees before end of the week, expectedly today. The director will also be known very soon as the league is about to start, but for now the focus is on having a team to compete,” said a highly-placed source in the team’s authoritative figures on condition of anonymity.

additions

He said the bill would soon hit E1 million as ‘they’ll be making a few more additions, but they’re slightly at over E800 000 now on signing-on fees only. These players are, among others, former Mbabane Swallows’ midfielder Richard McCreesh, defender Siboniso Ndzabandzaba, former Mbabane Highlanders captain and defender Jimoh Moses, ex-Moneni Pirates’ Fabrice Mopina and defender Mthunzi ‘Chippa’ Motsa.

Beside the new signings, the retained players’ contracts are also said to have been reviewed and moreover, all contracts are nothing less than two years for every player. Our sources said the signing-on fees varied with each contract but they ranged between E35 000 to around more or less E60 000.

“The fees will be staggered into instalments that will apply every new season. Say for example, if one player’s signing-on fee is E60 000 and contract is two years, he will get E30 000 now and E30 000 the following season,” said the top official.

Some of these players were called and questioned in confidence about their signing-on fees and they all said what they knew was that they were content with their offers.

“We haven’t received the money yet until tomorrow (today) as that’s what we were told but personally I’m more than happy to be part of Wanderers for a couple of seasons,” said one of the players yesterday.

The club’s PRO Mlungisi Ndzinisa, when reached, was reluctant to comment.

tasked

“This is a matter between the team and the players because it involves money and the directors have not yet permitted me to speak of our new signings,” he said.

Ndzinisa appealed for patience from their supporters while assuring them they would soon introduce their new team as they are on a revival course. On the contracts, he diplomatically said they were rebuilding, so the one-year contracts probably would not work. 

Some of the club’s retained soldiers are long serving captain Lwazi ‘Shana’ Maziya, goalkeeper Innocent Adja and Mpendulo Ngidi as well as Njabulo Magongo. They parted ways with 13 players, who were put on transfer while others returned to the parent clubs following ended loan spells. Besides the transfer market activity which had been nothing but busy for the country’s big three clubs with Highlanders and Swallows gunning for quality, Wanderers have also acquired a kit sponsor from Laurus Sport, valued at over E2 million for a said five years.

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