Ashantigold in another bit of controversy

ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI DRAWN INTO SOCCER PLAYERS COMPENSATION CLAIMS

AngloGold Ashanti Ghana Limited has found itself in another bit of controversy following a protest filed by 15 former players of its Ghanaian soccer club, Ashantigold SC at the Ghana Football Association.

The affected players were released while the current premier league season was in progress and they claim Ghanaian labour laws and FIFA statutes have been broken as they have been left to their fate and given little option to find alternative employment.

The affected players were brought to Ashantigold by Fortia Limited who were on the verge of purchasing the soccer club until misrepresentations by AngloGold on the rights it had to land on which it had put up its soccer facilities led to a collapse of the negotiations.

Based on a goodwill agreement AngloGold Fortia subsequently agreed that the affected players should stay with Ashantigold till the end of the current season. “Ashantigold has left us in the cold without any severance package or discussion on our future. They should have at least transfer-listed us and paid us till we got new clubs. I am suffering and will fight for my rights,” stated well spoken Richard Yeboah who brushed aside interest by current league leaders Accra Hearts of Oak when he was offered a chance to play in the mining town of Obuasi where Ashantigold is based.

Relegation threatened Ashantigold is fighting to stay afloat in the premiership but it is likely they will sink when the Player Status Committee of the Ghana Football Association hears their case next Thursday. Kofi Manu, a soccer expert who is holding brief for the affected players and who until recently was Accra Representative of Ashantigold says the Obuasi club “erred in terminating their appointment within the season.” “The action is a breach of Article 16 of FIFA’s regulations on status and transfer of players.”

Manu is requesting the appropriate compensation for the players and further sporting sanctions against Ashantigold Sporting Club under Article 17 of the same FIFA regulations. Ashantigold CEO, Kudjoe Fianoo is convinced his club did the right thing by terminating the players’ contracts. He told the state-owned Graphic Sports that the players were released at a time when the supplementary registration season was about to open and thus the players had the opportunity to register with any club of their choice.

Fianoo’s assertions have however been described as bogus by Manu who says the FIFA statutes are not ambiguous about termination of contracts within the season especially when the players were consulted. There was therefore no mutual understanding between the players and Ashantigold for the their contracts to be terminated.

Manu said should Ashantigold fail to settle the matter amicably they risk severe sporting sanctions as per FIFA’s statutes including a prohibition from registering new players for two registration periods following the contractual breach.