Richards Bay Faces Second FIFA Ban in Months Over Unpaid Player Salaries

Richards Bay has once again been banned from signing new players, marking their second such penalty in just a few months, despite receiving financial backing from Phakwe Gas during the offseason.

The KwaZulu-Natal club is prohibited from registering players both domestically and internationally due to their failure to settle payments owed to former defender Abdi Banda.

Banda was released at the end of the last season, having not participated in any of the club’s promotion/relegation playoff matches under the guidance of coach Vusi Vilakazi.

The former Baroka FC defender appeared in only eight matches across all competitions as the KwaZulu-Natal team finished in second-to-last place in the league standings.

Banda’s final match for Richards Bay was particularly unfortunate, as he received a red card during a 3-0 away defeat to his former club, Chippa United, back in March of last season.

This incident, deemed reckless by the management, severely affected his subsequent playing opportunities.

This prompted Richards Bay to terminate his contract, but the manner in which it was executed appears to have been unlawful. The ban will be lifted once the club fulfills the outstanding payment.

“In this context, it appears that, despite the ruling, Richards Bay [the Respondent] has not satisfied its financial obligations towards Abdi Hassan Banda,” the FIFA ruling stated.

“In this regard, we wish to inform the parties that FIFA has enforced a ban on the Respondent from registering new players internationally.

“The registration ban will remain in place until the outstanding amount is settled and for a maximum period of three full and consecutive registration cycles.

“Finally, the South African Football Association is requested to promptly impose a ban on the Respondent from signing new players at the national level if this has not already been executed.”

This marks the second instance of a PSL club facing penalties for failing to compensate Banda. Chippa United was previously banned after releasing Banda in 2023 while he was still under contract. Banda successfully addressed the issue through the FIFA Football Tribunal, as confirmed on the FIFA website. Aware of the serious repercussions imposed by FIFA, Chippa United ultimately settled the matter with the player.

This is also the second occasion where Richards Bay has faced a ban from FIFA due to the “unlawful” release of players.

They were previously penalized after terminating the contract of Kenyan player Ovella Ochieng, with Richards Bay chairman Sifiso Biyela accusing the player of dishonesty.

Ochieng, from Kenya, was signed from Township Rollers prior to the second half of the 2022/23 season, following the FIFA World Cup break. According to Biyela, Richards Bay reached a mutual agreement with Ochieng regarding his departure at the season’s conclusion, involving a settlement.

However, Ochieng later referred the matter to FIFA, claiming the club withheld due payments. This resulted in FIFA suspending Richards Bay’s ability to sign new players. Subsequently, Biyela settled the required amount of R230,000.

To lift the current ban, Richards Bay must resolve Banda’s contract settlement.