THighlanders Football Club players strike over unpaid wages despite the club recently getting US$500K donation from Wicknell Chiayo. The players have downed tools, refusing to play until long-overdue signing-on fees are settled.
This drastic action has thrown the club into disarray and left fans and benefactors alike asking one burning question: where is the money? This comes despite the club receiving a monumental financial injection from its chief patron, Wicknell Chivhayo.
The protest is not a mere bargaining chip; it is a desperate plea for what is legally and ethically owed. These athletes, the very lifeblood of the club, are watching their season teeter on the brink of collapse, all while the executive committee remains shrouded in a silence that many are calling culpable. The club’s reputation, once a symbol of pride for the entire Matabeleland region, is now being tarnished by what appears to be gross financial mismanagement.
Highlanders FC Players Strike Over Unpaid Wages Despite Club Receiving $500K Chivayo Donation
The situation is particularly baffling given the public and substantial support from businessman Wicknell Chivhayo. He has already delivered on half of a promised US$1 million pledge, funnelling US$500,000 into the club’s coffers in two equal instalments.
This money was explicitly intended to cover player bonuses, signing-on fees, and crucial infrastructure projects. Chivhayo’s intervention had previously saved the club from a dire FIFA transfer ban by settling a significant debt owed to former coach Baltemar Brito.
A source close to the players, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, stated,
“We have been patient for too long. The promises come every week, but the money never appears. We have families to support. This is not a gift; it is what we signed for.”
The sentiment in the dressing room is one of betrayal, with players feeling they are the last priority for an executive sitting on a small fortune.
A Leadership Accused of Sabotaging Its Own
The club’s leadership is now facing accusations of mismanaging a century-old institution. Their decision-making has been widely questioned, notably the sacking of former coach Kelvin Kaindu, who has since found success at rivals Dynamos. His replacement, Hendrik de Jongh, has failed to steady the ship, and his alleged comments to players about their future have only poured petrol on the flames.
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It is alleged that de Jongh told several squad members they were not part of his plans for next season, a move described by one insider as “reckless and destabilising.” This has created an atmosphere of intense anxiety, with players fearing they will be cast aside at the end of their contracts without ever receiving the money they are owed. The executive’s failure to manage this situation is seen as a direct cause of the current turmoil.
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