Sambia Saga Heads to FIFA Arbitration Over Unpaid Wages
Translated & summarized from Sport5 by baba
The football club Hapoel Tiberias faces potential arbitration with FIFA over unpaid wages owed to player Sambia. The club's trustee is prioritizing other payments, while the player's agent is demanding a free transfer due to the financial dispute. Hapoel Tiberias claims registration difficulties and demands significant guarantees, which they cannot meet. The agent believes the club and league control board have serious issues and someone must be held accountable.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Player Sambia's future is headed to arbitration with the Football Association and possibly FIFA due to unpaid wages.
- Hapoel Tiberias is prioritizing other payments, leaving Sambia's situation unresolved.
- Sambia's agent demands a free transfer, citing the club's financial mismanagement and control board issues.
- Hapoel Tiberias requires 800,000 shekels in guarantees to register Sambia, a sum they cannot raise.
- The club may have accepted relegation, potentially making Sambia's departure beneficial for him.
The trustee for the club, Adv. Liza Chadash, is prioritizing salary payments to staff and registered players, indicating that Sambia and Hapoel Tiberias are likely to part ways through arbitration with the Football Association, and potentially FIFA. The player's side is reportedly furious and demanding his release without a transfer fee so he can sign with another team as a free agent.
The defender Sambia has finished his suspension but has not played due to the club's financial issues. Hapoel Tiberias has stated they will not transfer him through the league's control board. The club claims the control board is creating difficulties and that they received legal advice to not pay for the suspension period and still register the players. Unlike David Kaltins and Niv Gottlieb, who returned from three-month suspensions and were cleared, Hapoel Tiberias was asked for additional guarantees of 800,000 shekels to register Sambia, a sum the club cannot currently raise.
Sambia's agent, Adv. Shahar Greenberg, expressed frustration, stating, "They need to be severely punished for their conduct. If it doesn't come from the FA arbitration, it will come from FIFA." He added, "When there's an agreement signed for two years last season, and suddenly it's not part of the approved agreements for this season, it's absurd, showing a serious problem for both the club and the control board. Someone needs to be held accountable."
Greenberg also commented, "They should have done everything to sort things out with him and get him to play. They need him. As it looks now, they can't afford to lose such a player, but if Tiberias has effectively accepted relegation, perhaps it would be better for him not to play there." The club's financial struggles and potential relegation may influence the outcome of the dispute.
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