FORMER Zimbabwe international forward Musa Mguni — who is facing a life ban from the game — has spoken of his great terror after he was allegedly forced to sign a contract while being held at gunpoint by Magomed Daudov, club president of Russian top-flight club FC Akhmat Grozny.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
The former Motor Action striker made the stunning revelations in a frantic effort to save his career after recently being ordered by world football governing body Fifa to pay a whopping $900 000 to the Russian club as compensation for unceremoniously terminating his contract in 2012.
Fifa will slap the 34-year-old striker with a life ban if he fails to compensate the Russian club.
Mguni alleges that Daudov, who is a highly influential military and political figure in the Chechen Republic, assaulted him before one of his armed security guards forced him to sign a contract legitimising salary cuts the club had unilaterally made.
Daudov had, according to Mguni, been incensed by his refusal to accept a pay cut after a lengthy spell on the sidelines following surgery due to an injury he sustained while in action for the Warriors.
The club also subsequently refused to pay his medical bills.
“My contract specified that I was supposed to receive €300 000 advance payment every year but after I got injured and underwent surgery at my expense, it was not paid,” Mguni told The Sports Hub from his Cyprus base yesterday.
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“The club director then wanted me to sign a contract written in Russian and when I noticed the date had been drawn back to March 2011 when I first joined the club when we were in September 2012, I became suspicious. I asked for a translated copy but they refused, so I didn’t sign. After that encounter my agent advised me to report a complaint to Fifa about my salaries and summons were sent.”
Daudov, according to Mguni, was further incensed when the club received summons from Fifa three months later, ordering them to honour their contract, leading to the incident which happened on the eve of FC Akhmat Grozny’s last game before the winter break in December 2012.
“While at the lobby the president of the club [Daudov] came with his army colleagues and started insulting me in Russian. The club secretary took me on the side to negotiate. He said instead of the €300k I was owed, they were offering to give me €70k. I told him I needed time to think about this but there was no way I was going to allow any deductions after all the treatments and medicals which I had paid for personally.
“I went to my room and after some time, the secretary called me to come down to the lobby and when I arrived there were some bodyguards who were also there. the president came to me holding a contract and took me to a dining /kitchen area.
“Everyone was told to stay outside. It was just me, him and one guard inside. There was a table, a chair, a pen and I was ordered to sit. He punched me hard on my head many times and I fell from the chair and he stepped on my head.
“He told me, ‘how dare you take the club to Fifa after all we’ve done for you?’ He threatened to take my passport and make me disappear to just punish me.
“I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t cry I was totally outnumbered, numb and confused. I was afraid so I had no choice but to sign at the time.”
Mguni said Daudov attempted to mend relations with him after the incident but after seeking advice from his lawyers, he decided to quit and take action against the club.
“The following day after the game, the president called me to speak and was apologetic for what he had done but I told him to back off. He told me I had forced his hand, adding that he could terminate my contract if I wanted to leave. He said if I forgot about everything, they would make sure I would come back strong in January 2013.
“That was the end of me in Russia so I opened a case against them and was advised to terminate my contract, which I did under the lawyer’s advice. It was for my safety.”
Mguni said his problems at FC Akhmat Grozny started when he sustained a serious knee injury during a Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi in Bujumbura in February of 2012, which the Warriors lost 2-1.
“The problems started during pre-season in 2012; first the new coach [currently with the national team of Russia] wanted a new centre forward, so he started finding excuses to try and get rid of me,” he said.
“Coincidentally, it was during that period that I received a letter from Zifa confirming my call up to the Warriors squad. So since I wanted to clear my head, I decided to join the squad and unfortunately I suffered a knee injury during the match against Burundi.”
Mguni said in addition to Zifa’s failure to support him after the serious injury, his club also turned its back on him as it initially refused to accept that he was injured and in some instances forced him to train and play through the pain.
“When I returned from Burundi on the 4th of March, I was surprised when the coach said he wanted me to start the game but I told him I couldn’t because I had an injury. Tests were done and they discovered I had too much liquid in the knee. They were very annoyed but I apologised for the injury and asked them if they could allow me to seek medical attention but they did not approve and the coach actually told me he had not received any news from our team doctor.
“The team doctor later told me my leg was okay and I just needed two to three weeks of rest only and therapy but within a week I was forced to join the team in training. I couldn’t run or do anything as I would be damaging my leg even more. I didn’t participate or play even a single game for the remainder of the season.”
Mguni said he only went ahead with the surgery after deciding to personally foot his medical bills.
The gangling striker underwent intensive treatment and rehabilitation in Germany and France respectively.
Mguni went on to play for Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk (2013-14) and Cyproit sides Olympiakos Nicosia (2015-16), Ayia Napa FC (2016) and Karmiotissa (last year).
