Several Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs are waiting for communication from the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) and the PSL to decide on the future of their players whose contracts end on June 30.
The coronavirus outbreak forced the postponement of the start to the 2020 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season and it still remains uncertain when football activity will resume.
Highlanders and Chicken Inn are some of the clubs that have expressed concern over ZIFA’s failure to communicate to the PSL FIFA’s guidelines to be followed post the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, the Bulawayo-based clubs are in a quandary over how to handle players whose contracts expire at the end of this month.
FIFA guidelines, which ZIFA has yet to communicate to the PSL, made a proposal for player contracts to be flexible in view of the obtaining COVID-19 scourge. The guidelines read in part:
Expiring player contracts usually end when the season ends, with a termination date that coincides with the end of the season.
With the current suspension of play in most countries, it is now obvious that the current season will not end when people thought it would.
Therefore, it is proposed that contracts be extended until such time that the season does actually end. This should be in line with the original intention of the parties when the contract was signed and should also preserve sporting integrity and stability.
A similar principle applies to contracts due to begin when the new season starts, meaning the entry into force of such contracts is delayed until the next season actually does start.