K30M FOR CJ, SCHUMACHER
Blue Eagles have put a K15 million (US$20 000) price tag each for midfielder John CJ Banda and Schumacher Kuwali who are on the verge of clinching deals with Mozambique side Ferroviaro de Nampula.
The amount is way above the Mozambican club was asking for the two players on year-long loan deal.
A letter from the Malawi Police Service outfit to the Mozambique club suggests that there is stalemate.
“We have no problems in the players joining your club for pre-season training and we assure you that they will come. Going by your offer, we would want to indicate that the most ideal arrangement we would have preferred to get into with your club, is an outright transfer agreement if it was not for the fact that you are not allowed to buy players as indicated to us by your agent in the discussions we had today.
“Now going by the loan offer you have made to us our position is that in addition to the conditions offered to the players, there should be an amount of money going to the mother club-Blue Eagels FC, for grooming the players to their current top form and also to compensate the team for the huge gap that will be created when they leave. We thus propose that there should also be a payment of 20,000.00 US dollars per player to Blue Eagles FC,” reads the letter from Eagles vice-chairman Happy Mkandawire.
Blue Eagles chairperson Richard Luhanga justified the decision to peg the two players at K15 million each.
“John [Banda] and Schumacher [Kuwali] are not ordinary players. These are players that are reliable not only at Blue Eagles but the national team as well,” he said.
“As Blue Eagles, we want serious deals that will help the team transform into a professional entity. That’s why we arrived at the players transfer fee which is the same as what we set for Micium Mhone.”
Luhanga further revealed in 2015 season they had to turn down an offer from Costa do Sol for CJ for the same reason.
“We cannot just accept any offer on the table just for the sake of it,” he said.
But agent Jame Pondamale, who is representing Ferroviaro de Nampula, has decried the price as prohibitive.
“For Christ’s sake, they are not selling the player to a South Africa club. This is a Mozambican club.
“Moreover, this just a loan deal and Eagles will keep the ownership of the players.”
CJ and Schumacher are with the club on a pre-season trip in South Africa.
The player told out sister paper Weekend Nation that he fears for his career if the deal fails to materialise due to the K15 million price tag.
“Football is short-term career and I am not getting younger. I have a family that I have to take care of and this is an opportunity I would want to grab,” said CJ who is also wanted by Desportivo de Maputo.
“I just hope the two sides will reach an agreement that will satisfy both parties as well as help me advance my career.”
The Mozambique club is offering CJ and Kuwali K5.5 million (about $7 499) each signing on fees and K800 000 (about $1 090) tax free monthly salaries.
Ferroviário is based in Nampula and their home stadium is Estádio do Nampula.
From 1993 to 2002, Filipe Nhussi, the current President of Mozambique, served as president of the club.
