Moorosi Tsiane
PREMIER league teams will soon open for their pre-season preparations as some have been busy on the market signing and releasing off players.
This is a crucial time for players because often this presents a chance for better contracts with different teams.
Some will leave their current teams only because they have ran out of contracts while other moves will fail to materialise.
However, I have one piece of advice for all the players in this period and that is they should always be sure that they are making right decision.
They have to ensure that they read their contracts before putting pen to paper.
I have seen many players suffering after signing contracts they don’t even understand. You will hear players claiming that they have ran out of contracts with such teams only to find out they are still contracted.
In most cases, this is influenced by excitement. It happens often that once a player is lured by a new team, especially the so-called big teams in the league, they (players) soon rush to sign contracts with no diligence.
A season or so later, such contracts begin to haunt them particularly when they want to leave.
I have seen players playing for certain teams when they would have wanted to leave but because they are contractually bound, they have to stay put. This happens because they would not have read an understood the contracts before signing and when they want to leave, the team enforces the contracts.
Contracts are often complicated and require legal experts to unpack and it is vital to seek help before signing the contract.
This is one of the key aspects that will help local football by transforming our premiership into a professional league.
Many of our teams have started to pay players monthly allowances and those who are not paying are helping in any way they can. Players also need to play their part. Everyone along the value chain must play their part.
We should not only wait for the government to do everything. The teams themselves must take their trade seriously, then the private sector will respect and invest in their brands and the government too will come on board because they will all want to associate with the value exuded.
However, it’s important to do the right thing right from the onset and players must read and understand their contracts before signing.
Congratulations are in order for those who will be joining new teams. For those whose moves do not materialise, let’s work harder.
Be wise and demand your copies of contracts from the teams. It is your right to have a copy.
