Don Délice Ndikumana
Since the start of this year, the Yanga’s player hasn’t appeared on any squad listed for NBC Tanzania Premier League fixtures. This gives what to question just 6 months after he signed for the team. What’s wrong?
The former Newcastle player joined Yanga dubbed Klabu ya Wananchi “ Club of citizens” on July 9th, 2022 on a free transfer from North Ireland side Glentoran in June 2022 at the expiry of his contract. He signed a deal of 2 years with Young Africans SC a.k.a Yanga.
Push to the exit door
In the NBC Tanzania Premier League, no team can exceed 12 foreign players in their squad. For critical performances, the Burundian national team vice-captain is among those that the club wishes to exit in order to deliver more space for new arrivals.
In his contract, due to end on June 30, 2023, it is said that if the team wishes to terminate it, the player has to be given a contract breaking fine of 280,000$ ( about 600 millions in burundian francs), an enormous pack of money that they aren’t willing to hand over to him since the player doesn’t want to be loaned.
“I have heard some people saying that I am about to leave Yanga, let me tell them that I am a Younger’s player and will keep on working for my beloved team. Showing up on the pitch remains the coach’s decision”, has posted Bigirimana on Facebook.
Yanga and a Burundian Internationals disputing isn’t something new.
In 2021, the Burundian striker Tambwe Amissi sued the Tanzanian team for failing to pay him TSh 43.5 millions accrued from sign-on fees and unpaid salaries after his unceremonious exit from the club at the end of the 2018-2019 season. FIFA stepped in and obliged the team to finalize the payments in 45 days, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to sign any other player for the next 3 years. A ban that urged the team to pay the owed money.
Gaël Bigirimana started his professional carreer at Coventry City in 2011 and went on signing in the Premier League team Newcastle the following year. He played for Burundi national team for the first time in 2015. After a decade playing in Europe, he packed up his luggages to land in the Dar-Es-Salam-based team where his future is now uncertain.
