Gor Mahia Ugandan left back Godfrey Walusimbi is adamant he will not return to training until the club clears the remaining part of his sign-on fee worth $10,000.
The player was entitled to receive $30,000 as sign on fee after penning a new two-year-deal with the Kenyan champions on 21st December 2017.
Gor’s chairman Mr. Ambrose Rachier has pledged to pay the outstanding amount on condition that the player resumes training first.
“Let him first come back to training and then I will pay him,” Rachier said Friday morning, but the player is not backing down.
“I cannot get back to training unless he pays me, I gave him time, if he can’t pay then let him give me a release letter I go,” the player replied.
Walusimbi has been sitting out K’Ogalo’s trainings and is yet to feature for them since playing against Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis in the CAF Champions League on 7th March.
He however turned out for Uganda Cranes in two friendlies in the same month.
As per his contract (a copy in Soka25east’s possession), Walusimbi was to be paid in full the sign-on fee on 22nd February 2018 failure to which he would be a free agent.
“The club shall pay the player thirty thousand USD (30,000) as sign on fee in full amount not in Kenyan shillings on 22nd day of April 2018 failure to do so a player will be a free agent contract will be terminated,” the contract partly reads.
The club only managed raise $20,000 for him after the deadline with Rachier committing to clear the remaining amount within one month but this did not happen.
Walusimbi says the money was meant for an agency he is signed to which paid him upfront the equivalent of the sign on fee on condition he refunds once the club had paid him.
“I have had to lie to them (the agency) several times until they fined me $2000 on top of the $10,000 and I had to pay the fine using my salary.”
He is unhappy that there has been a communication breakdown between him and Rachier.
“If he didn’t have the money then he should have told me so that I see how I raise the matter with the agency but he kept ignoring my calls.
“If it had been about salary then I could have gone back before payment but it’s a contract fee which I received upfront from my agency.
“I am not in for a challenge with my boss but let him pay then I go for training,” the former Don Bosco man said.
He concluded: “Passion isn’t food. I love the fans and my job which I do to get paid; I can’t be with a football job without a contract meaning let the contract issue gets sorted out, I’m available for work.”
In his absence, Gor made it to the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup for the first time after dispatching South Africa’s Supersport United on away goal’s rule.
