Editor, This is in reaction to the letter, “Breach of contract in sports order of the day” (The New Times, April 17) Exactly what good stuff for local football is Richards alluding to? Otherwise, I am tempted to agree with him on the essential point that a contract of employment isn’t a prison sentence; either party can cut it short as long as they follow procedures prescribed by the contract. In sports, a manager or coach can be fired unceremoniously and without notice if their results fail to satisfy. All management have to do is simply see off the manager if they still have time on their contract. Similarly, a manager wishing to leave before the contractual term is over can negotiate an early exit and buy out their contract or get the interested new employer to negotiate and pay compensation to the manager’s current employer. Loyalty is an extremely rare commodity in professional or semi-professional sports and its management. Mwene Kalinda
