Highlanders players boycott training over bonuses

By Tichaona Sibanda
07 October 2005

Players at former champions Highlanders boycotted a training session on Thursday in protest at the late payment of their winning bonuses, hardly two weeks after staging a similar protest in the UK over unpaid allowances.

Walking off the pitch without kicking a ball, the squad members claimed they had not been paid their bonuses for taking part in the two matches of the OK Woza Bhora tournament.

Highlanders lost on penalties in the final to Masvingo United last week Sunday at Barbourfields stadium in Bulawayo. Themba Nkosi, our correspondent in Bulawayo said there was a nasty exchange of words between the players and club chairman Kenny Ndebele before the standoff deteriorated into a slanging match.

The club executive is now under pressure from the fans to resign following a similar incident in the UK after players refused to fly back home demanding their allowances from management.

This was the second standoff between the two groups in three weeks. Its alleged Thursday’s events were triggered off by comments made by Ndebele to the players.

According to Nkosi, Ndebele is alleged to have told the players that who ever was at the club for the love of money should step aside and make way for those who have the club at heart.

‘It is at that moment that the players walked off the pitch. At the moment there is still a stalement over the issue,’ said Nkosi