CARTHBERT Mutandwa will not return to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) after the league’s board of governors endorsed the decision not to renew his contract and abolish the position of finance and administration manager which he held.
WELLINGTON TONI SPORTS EDITOR
The league’s Saturday meeting in Harare, meant to review the 2013 season, acknowledged that Mutandwa had challenged the decision to dismiss him three months before the end of his contract.
“During the year the league employed a bookkeeper. The bookkeeper was employed to ensure that accounts are presented timeously and regularly. The contract for the finance and administration manager expires on February 28 2014 and will not be renewed.
“The manager has challenged the termination through his legal practitioners. The post of finance and administration manager, will be abolished,” a statement from the board of governors, chaired by Twine Phiri, reads.
Mutandwa has been accused of “insubordination, incompetence, ineffectiveness and direct defiance of authority”.
In turn, he has released a 28-page dossier which alleges gross mismanagement of the league and questioned several decisions made by the league’s management committee. Mutandwa’s lawyers have written to the league’s PSL chief executive Kennedy Ndebele seeking an explanation to why their client was unfairly dismissed.
Ndebele responded in part: “Further, note that the termination of your client’s contract is due to willingness by the company to terminate the employment relationship (see paragraph 19,0 of the employment contract), in which case the company will pay your client’s dues for the remainder of the contract.
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“However, your client’s employment relationship has not been without blemish, as the executive committee have grappled with your client’s insubordination, incompetence, ineffectiveness and direct defiance of authority, which themselves may have led to a disciplinary hearing.”
Mutandwa’s lawyers Matsikidze and Mucheche legal practitioners also wrote to the principal labour officer in the Labour ministry requesting for conciliation between the PSL and the former administrator.
“Carthbert Mutandwa was employed as an executive secretary for the PSL, wherein he was later promoted to being the finance and administration director for the respondent.
The contract of employment was consummated to run from the 1st of March 2009 to 28th February 2014. It is also worth to note that the promotion was on the above-mentioned contractual terms without major variances thereto.
“However, the employer on its own instance terminated the contract of employment without any lawful basis or reasons. Furthermore, Carthbert Mutandwa’s contract of employment was terminated before its expiry and also without any adherence to the legal procedures require . . .,” part of the letter to the PSL reads.
During the course of the year, four members of the league successfully completed a SuperSport International sponsored diploma in sports administration and management course. The course was held in Kenya on a block release programme.
Board member (competitions)Tawengwa Hara, Joseph Mukoki, Elisha Mandireva (competitions manager) Rodwell Thabe (IT&marketing manager) attended the course.
The board of governors also noted that the league met various challenges, particularly in the club’s inability to handle live matches covered by their broadcast partner, SuperSport. Part of the report read: 5 Major challenges
5,1 Event management – most clubs are not well equipped to handle football events especially where SuperSport LIVE broadcast are being conducted,
5,2 Pitch invasions during and after the matches when the broadcast is still live on air,
5,3 Management of the movement and positioning of media crew and ball boys within the perimeter of the pitch.
5,4 Management of print media, journalists,
5,5 Strained relationship with Askeland Media in view of the value of our current partnership,
5,6 Short-term yearly contracts with sponsors are a major hindrance to long-term planning.
2 Recommendations
4,1 Establishment of well-defined tailor-made lease agreements or hire agreements with respect to stadia hire.
4,2 There is a need to formally engage in long-term contracts for all the league products (minimum three years) to enable strategic planning and scheduling.
2,3 Revisit all our sponsor contracts and align then with international best practices with regards to personal image and publication rights of individual clubs and players,
2,4 Properly and clearly define the roles and scope of sponsor-related activities in our sponsorship framework,
2,5 Conduct awareness workshops with regards to the media and general event management within the PSL.
