Harare, Zimbabwe — Premier Soccer League club, Yadah Star, has been fined US$82,000 by FIFA for breaching expatriate players’ contracts. The club must pay the penalty by July 27 or face a three-transfer-window ban on registering new players locally and internationally.
The fines stem from Yadah’s mishandling of contracts with Brazilian players Joao Pedro Marques Barcellos, Juan Luciano Faria, and Deivid Pereira de Brito. The trio was unveiled with fanfare on July 14, 2023, but the relationship soured when Yadah terminated their contracts without following FIFA procedures.
Yadah chairperson Everson Chatambudza has not responded to inquiries. The club can still appeal FIFA’s ruling. The Brazilians, unhappy with their treatment, took their case to FIFA on May 10. Yadah reportedly terminated their contracts a few months after signing them, but FIFA determined this was “without just cause.”
On June 12, FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) ruled Yadah must pay each player US$19,580, plus 5% interest per annum from April 4, 2024, until full payment. Yadah must also pay each player US$1,220 per month for November 1, 2023, to April 1, 2024, when the club failed to meet contractual obligations.
FIFA has informed the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) and the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) about the sanctions.
“The claim of Joao Pedro Marques Barcellos is accepted. Yadah FC must pay US$19,580 as compensation for breach of contract without just cause plus 5% interest p.a. from April 4, 2024, until the date of effective payment,” FIFA’s ruling reads.
If Yadah fails to make full payment within 45 days, the club will be banned from registering new players nationally and internationally until the due amount is paid.
The ban could last up to three consecutive registration periods. If the amount remains unpaid after this period, the matter will be referred to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.
The contracts with the three Brazilian players, signed on July 18, 2023, were to expire on June 30, 2025. Each player was entitled to a US$5,000 signing fee, paid in two installments, and a monthly salary of US$1,200, plus a US$20 camping allowance.
Yadah failed to pay salaries for October, November, and December 2023, and January and February 2024.
On December 21, 2023, Barcellos returned to Brazil for a season break, but Yadah did not provide a return ticket as required by the contract. Barcellos informed the club on February 22 that the situation was unacceptable and gave them 15 days to remedy the breaches.
Yadah did not respond or rectify the issues. In March, Barcellos sent a second notice detailing the breaches and requested the club clarify his status and pay the outstanding US$6,000 for salaries from October 2023 to February 2024 within seven days. Yadah again did not respond, and the March salary went unpaid.
On April 4, 2024, Barcellos concluded the club had terminated his contract without just cause and filed a claim with FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber. FIFA’s ruling grants the players their outstanding salaries and compensation for the unlawful termination of their contracts.
Yadah is now the second Zimbabwean football institution, after ZIFA, to be sanctioned by FIFA over a dispute involving Brazilian players. In July 2015, FIFA expelled Zimbabwe from the 2018 World Cup draw after ZIFA failed to settle US$60,000 owed to former Warriors coach Valinhos. f key senior players.
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