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| Sports |
| Another Bakili Bullets top player wants to join Silver |
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by
Leonard Sharra, 15 March 2005
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16:30:39
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Annoyed with the remarks that were allegedly uttered by Bakili Bullets chairman Sunduzwayo Madise, the team’s aggressive winger Fischer Kondowe says he is considering leaving the club and join the extravagant Reserve Bank side Silver Strikers which has already roped in three of his colleagues.
Speaking in a telephone interview before heading for the Flames’ camping site in Mulanje on Monday, the gifted winger said he has been angered by the alleged remarks by chairman Sunduzwayo Madise, who is reported to have declared that players who were not happy with the bonus adjustments announced by the team were free to leave.
But Madise denies uttering the remarks.
“How can he (Madise) say that. Was he trying to stop players from asking questions? We understand the money problems that are there but the approach that he took was wrong. He was speaking as if he was talking to children and I for one cannot take that.
“I stand by the truth and I don’t do things to please anybody and to show them (the executive) my true character, I want to leave. They said it that we are free to leave and I want to enter into serious discussions with Silver. I have not yet contacted Silver but once I get their officials’ contacts, I will approach them to see if I can have a place in the team,” he said.
While reiterating the new executive open door policy, both Madise and his general secretary Willy Phalula denied that players were told to leave if they were not happy with the new K4,000 ($37) per game bonus from last season’s K3,000.
“Did you verify those reports. I am a former trade unionist and there is no way I can utter those remarks. You can find out from the players. What I said — and I don’t regret— was that if there are players who don’t want to work for the new committee but the old committee, the door is open for them to leave.
“The player is responding to hearsay and if he wants to leave, he should find other excuses. There are disciplinary issues involving Fischer and our secretary will be informing people in due course but the issue he is raising now is new. He has not talked about this and he boycotted the meeting that we had with the players,” said Madise.
The Bullets boss went on to say no member in the team was bigger than the club.
“The problem we have is that players were being treated with kid gloves but we are saying there is no senior player in the team,” said Madise who also confirmed reports that the player refused to open an account when all players were told to do so.
Phalula also distanced his chairman from the said remarks, saying he was present at the meeting between players and the executive.
“I was there and the chairman never made those remarks. If Fischer wants to leave, he has other reasons. What I know is that the player picked a quarrel with some of the supporters who asked the executive to discipline the player.
“But we said we could only discipline the player if the issue was coming from the technical committee. Apart from this, the player has not approached us with any problem,” said Phalula who echoed Madise’s remarks that most players were being spoilt during the previous era.
Phalula said the rest of the players were satisfied which what was being offered by the new executive.
“I can boast that we are the only team in Malawi that is paying players K12,000 every month. Apart from game bonus, training allowances and whatever, we are depositing K12,000 into every player’s account every month.
This is regardless if whether the player features in game or not. We have even told the players that if we find money, we will top up on whatever we are giving them,” said Phalula.
Silver’s secretary Ganizani Masiye said his club will wait for the player to make an approach before saying anything.
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