TARGETS—de Jongh
Silver Strikers have maintained their targets for coach Pieter de Jongh despite failing to buy four of the five players he had asked for in the just-ended transfer window.
At the time of signing his contract early this season, Silver asked de Jongh to win the TNM Super League title and at least one cup.
Two of the players that de Jongh wanted are Dedza Dynamos forward Clement Nyondo and Civil Service United midfield maestro Lloyd Aaron.
The Central Bankers’ board secretary Peter Masiye said they had agreed on the targets with the coach and that nothing has changed.
“Winning the Super League title and one cup is what we agreed with the coach. This is also in the contract. Indeed, we have not been able to get all the players he had wanted in his team but we have not closed the chapter yet. We will still pursue the targets and other players, even if it means getting new signings from abroad,” Masiye said.
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He also lamented the pricing of players by rival teams, saying no local player can fetch up to K15 million on the transfer market.
“The K15 million that Civil wanted for Aaron was just too much for a local player. We are a team that is also sponsored by government and we are using taxpayers’ money. We don’t just spend for the sake of it. No. At the end of the day, we are accountable for all the expenses we make.
“It appears as if there is a tendency of overcharging when it is Silver wanting to buy a player. I do not know why teams do this. Where, in Malawi, has a player been sold for K15 million. I do not remember hearing about such an amount in Malawi, unless my memory is letting me down,” Masiye said.
de Jongh said both parties appreciate the situation on the ground.
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“The board and I have a full appreciation of the situation. Both parties have a good understanding of the situation and we take a game at a time. We are on to the next one,” he said.
Football analyst Roy Mdechi, a former general secretary for defunct Masters Security, said Silver are right to stick to what was agreed in the contract.
“A contract is a contract and it becomes binding the moment you sign it. What the two parties agreed is what they signed for. So the club’s failure to secure some targeted players has nothing to do with the contract,” Mdechi said.
