Warriors revolt at airport over bonuses Source:
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/warriors87.13599.html• Warriors strike over pay in Nigeria
By Mutongi Gava
Last updated: 01/04/2006 16:14:35
THE Zimbabwe national soccer team nearly aborted the trip to the African Cup of Nations after they went on strike over unpaid bonuses.
Members of the 2006 African Cup of Nations fundraising committee were forced to dig deep into their fund to rescue the situation after Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) had failed to solve the problem.
According to reports in Harare, the Warriors were owed bonuses emanating from their participation in the World Cup qualifiers and the regional Cosafa Castle Cup.
Each player was owe at least $80 million and the fundraising committee had to fork out about $2 billion to quel the situation.
Members of the committee who included Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity Bright Matonga and chairman Tendai Savanhu accompanied trunks with cash to the Harare International Airport to give the Warriors who refused to get out of their coach into the plane.
They only left after they were given their money which their relatives took back home travellers are only allowed to move out the country with just $500 000.
Relatives of the players could be seen at the airport receiving large wads of money. The Warriors were on their way to Egypt where they are expected to play a friendly match against the Pharaohs in Cairo.
Thereafter they will head for France where they are going to be hosted by AJ Auxerre hotshot Benjani Mwaruwari during a training camp. They are expected to play Auxerre, Togo, Guinea and Zambia in the European country.
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