Mafco U-turns on Mbulu deal

In a dramatic twist of events, Mafco FC have blocked their marksman Richard Mbulu from joining a Mozambican club Costa do Sol.

The 2016 TNM Super League Golden Boot Award winner signed a one-year contract with Costa do Sol and was scheduled to leave the country yesterday for Maputo alongside Civo United captain Nelson Kangunje.

On Monday, Mafco team manager Overton Ng’oma told The Nation that they had agreed on a transfer fee with the Mozambican team, but he changed tune yesterday, saying on second thought, they were not happy with the K3.5 million offer.

“I told you that you cannot buy a player like Mbulu at $3 500. Even here in Malawi teams are buying players in the range of K10 million,” he said.

“They wired money but we will send it back until they improve their offer.”

But the development has irked Costa officials who have threatened to take it up with Fifa.

Costa general secretary Joao Paulo Nhabanga claimed that the development will affect the team since the only striker they had signed was Mbulu.

“It is an absurd situation. I do not understand what is happening because Mbulu signed an agreement and his club [Mafco] accepted our offer and they even sent their banking details and to that effect, we issued payment. Is this [the normal] way of doing things in Malawi?

“Now the player is registered in Mozambique and we are going to inform Fifa of all the dossier. The player is going to be suspended for sure. We will also move a claim against Mafco for compensation,” said Nhabanga from Maputo.

Facilitator of the deal, Venancio Patreque, said he was confused with the development.

“All we need is Mbulu here or the case will be taken to Fifa because this is not on. We have all the documents from Mafco,” he said.

Although the two teams claim to have agreed on a K3.5 million transfer fee, according to the correspondence between the two clubs that The Nation has seen, Mafco agreed to receive $3 500 [about K2.56 million] as transfer fee and  a further 30 percent cut in the event that Mbulu is sold to another club.

Part of the letter, which Mafco general secretary Oscar Lipenga signed, reads: “Mafco FC has the following conditions that will have to be met upon transfer of the player to your club. Payment of the said amount, $3 500 as transfer fee into our account.

Mbulu refused to comment

Meanwhile Kangunje left for Maputo yesterday.

Speaking at the airport, Kangunje was delighted. “Zatheka man, I am going, zampira zenizeni,” he said. n