APR, Ferwafa react to Kiyovu court threat

The local football governing body, Ferwafa has dared Sc Kiyovu to proceed with their threats of suing the football body to Caf and Fifa for sanctioning of transfer of their player Jean Claude Iranzi to rivals APR. Reacting to the threat, Ferwafa’s chief executive officer Jules Kalisa said, Kiyovu is free to go to whoever they think can help them block the move but they should also be ready for the consequences.

Monday, October 27, 2008
(L-R): Ready for court battle: Jules Kalisa, Acted within law: Aimu00e9 Kayinamura.

The local football governing body, Ferwafa has dared Sc Kiyovu to proceed with their threats of suing the football body to Caf and Fifa for sanctioning of transfer of their player Jean Claude Iranzi to rivals APR.

Reacting to the threat, Ferwafa’s chief executive officer Jules Kalisa said, Kiyovu is free to go to whoever they think can help them block the move but they should also be ready for the consequences.

"Kiyovu accepted to participate in Ferwafa sanctioned events by signing to the league’s rules and regulations which was passed by the general assembly” Kalisa said.

"After the members signed to the rules that govern the game in the country, we sent them to Fifa for approval. And how can them turn around and say that we didn’t act within the law” the flamboyant football administrator asked.

The threat was issued by the club’s outgoing president Louis Claude Gasamagera in an exclusive candid interview with Times Sport recently.

According to the official, Iranzi, who signed for APR in close season, still had a year remaining on his contract with Kiyovu.

When contacted for comment APR’s acting secretary general, Aime Kayinamura said that as, APR can’t panic after the threat.

According to Kayinamura APR acted within the law to sign Iranzi he also revealed that they paid the 0.5m compensation fee that Ferwafa asked them to pay to Kiyovu.

According to Ferwafa, they evoked article 99 of its rules and regulation statute to sanction the U-17 international’s move.

But Ferwafa’s CEO Jules Kalisa retaliated by saying that Kiyovu are free to do whatever they like as it’s their right to seek justice. He however, said that the federation acted within the laws to sanction the move.

According to Kalisa, Ferwafa has no case to answer as they acted within Fifa approved rules and regulations. Quoting article 99, Kalisa said every player featuring in the national league is allowed to two full seasons at a particular club and after that, he’s free to decide whether to renew or join another club.

"After two full seasons at any club in the league, any player is free to move or renew his contract. So Iranzi was free to move to APR and Ferwafa have no case to answer” Kalisa said.

However, Gasamagera who ended his presidential mandate on October 5th, Iranzi is still a Kiyovu player as he’s still contracted to team.

Earlier, reliable source revealed to Times Sport that Kiyovu used twisted hand methods to tie the exciting left winger down to the two-year that runs out at end of the current campaign.

Others source said that Kiyovu seduced the player into signing the contract on October 10, 2007 with the lure of paying him his arrears for the period he had been at the club without a contract. However Gasamagera denied all that.

He revealed that the course of action concerning the saga will be reached by the in-coming club management committee that will be elected soon.

The election of new office bearers has been called off several times signaling the hard times that have befallen the country’s old oldest football club Kiyovu have won three league titles in their history but all of them before 1994 with their latest triumph coming in 1993.

One of Ferwafa’s other defenses is that; a junior player signs a contract in the presence of his guardian and a Ferwafa official, a rule that Kiyovu bleached.

Some unconfirmed reports indicated to Times Sport that Iranzi presented an old contract to Ferwafa that showed that his time had ended with Kiyovu yet he very well knew that he has another running contract that had a year left on it.

The 17-year-old moved from Kimisagara a club that isn’t recognized by Ferwafa to Kiyovu as a junior player two years ago.

Since joining the nine-time league champions, controversially though, Iranzi has featured in all APR’s league this season.

And the U-20 international is currently in Germany with the U-17 team preparing for their African junior championship qualifier against Burkina Faso.

Ends