Simba to discuss Sh294m sanction
What you need to know:
- The Egyptian club claimed that Kichuya unilaterally terminated his four-and-half-year contract to join Simba while knowing fully well that he was violating soccer rules and regulations
Dar es Salaam. Simba SC said yesterday that they will discuss the order by Fifa’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) that the Mainland champions pay Egypt’s Pharco $127,000 (roughly Sh294.34 million) for irregularly signing midfielder Shiza Kichuya.
Failure to pay the penalty could result in the club being banned from signing new players, either locally or internationally, for two seasons - and Kichuya suspended for six months.
Pharco claimed that Kichuya unilaterally terminated their four-and-half-year contract to join Simba SC while knowing that he was violating extant rules and regulations.
Kichuya joined Pharco in 2019, and Pharco just as soon loaned him out to another Egyptian side, ENPPI, under a special deal. However, ENPPI returned Kichuya to Pharco after the end of the agreed deal, but Kichuya did not secure a regular position in the club’s team, and the club management promised to loan him to yet another club.
Apart from failing to secure a position on the Pharco team, another reason that made the club to plan to loan Kichuya out to another soccer club was that Pharco already had the maximum permitted number of foreign players. As a result, Kichuya decided to leave Pharco without mutual consent, and joined Simba who secured a provisional licence from Fifa Players’ Status Committee despite Parco’s objection - and it filed a case with Fifa’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) in Zurich.
Simba chairman Mwina Kaduguda admitted receiving the Fifa letter, and would work on it.
“Our board of directors would discuss it and see what we should do. Let’s wait,” said Kaduguda.
The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) also admitted receiving a copy of the letter, and hoped that Simba would get an opportunity to be heard.
TFF’s Head of Information Department Boniface Wambura said the Zurich-based DRC is the final judicial authority, and before they give their final decision, Simba should be granted the right to submit their defence.
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Majuto Omary [email protected]
