Who pocketed Madondo’s transfer fee?

By Fredrick Musisi Kiyingi & Jacobs Odongo Seaman
There are white ants. There are white elephants. And the irrefutable evidence confirming all these is Joel Madondo, a player who signed off on dotted lines for Wydad Casablanca and was supposed to be $50,000 (about Shs183m) richer overnight but has no idea where the money is, who took it, let alone what even happened.
The 22-year-old Ugandan international is back in the country after a brief stay in North Africa.
Such is the pity for the former Busoga United striker who had to endure nightmarish pro dream in North Africa, eat chapatti for dinner and so many other tribulations when his sign-on fee with Wydad Casablanca was worth more than enough to secure acreage of land for sugarcane growing in Busoga.
According to the player’s agent Tushar Ruparelia, Wydad officials say they paid up after the striker signed a a three-year-contract in January.
Wydad president Said Naciri, according to Ruparelia, disclosed during an agent-employer (club) video conference at the time of terminating Madondo’s contract in July that the player’s sign-on fee had duly been paid up to his “agent.”
“He [Wydad president] was surprised when we raised the issue of the sign-on fee during the video conference. He told us the money and copy of my contract had been handed over,” Madondo said.
Daily Monitor is constrained to reveal the identity of the representative for legal reasons but Madondo said he had tried to reach out to the Ugandan to be part of the video conference without success.
No word from Morocco
This newspaper has since made several attempts to get Wydad officials to adduce evidence in the claims without success. Ruparelia, too, has not been able to get any such evidence, he says.
Without proof, the claims of paying up remains subjective as there is only Naciri’s words that appear to have led Madondo into believing there is money trail he could as yet follow up on.
In a way, Madondo was in a wild goose chase for white ants that the Baganda call ‘byoya bya nswa’ and exists or a white elephant, which does not.
Meanwhile, Ruparelia also confirmed that Wydad president Naciri did not talk about the $40,000 (about Shs147m), which was due to Busoga United, Madondo’s selling club.
Dinah Nyago, Busoga United chairperson, confirmed to Daily Monitor that they have never received a penny for the transfer.
A bad pro dream
Moroccan Botola Pro sides Wydad and Raja Casablanca have recently been in the local news for quite dramatic reasons. From exciting Ugandans by signing Cranes internationals Muhammad Shaban, Murushid Juuko and Madondo, to a rollercoaster return of the same, it has been quite the story.
Shaban cut his losses and suspended the pro dream at Raja after recurrent injuries restricted him to just seven matches. He signed for Vipers but has yet to play for the league champions as he returned injured last year.
Defender Juuko returned from Wydad and is rumoured to be destined for Express.
On June 6, this paper broke the story of Madondo’s plight in Morocco where the player had been confined in a rented apartment and barred by Spanish coach Juan Carlos Garrido from training ground.
The report, quoting the player, indicated that he had not received salary since joining the club and was surviving on chapatti and tea.
The Cranes player confirmed to Daily Monitor after his contract was terminated that the club had paid him half his salary for four months (February-May) 40,000 Moroccan Dirham (about Shs150m).
“I have received half my salary for four months. The president (Naciri) will also pay me for June as well as buy me ticket back home,” Madondo said in July.
But he revealed on Sunday Naciri that had gone against his word and the play had to buy own air ticket.
Madondo, who blames his nightmare in Casablanca on Garrido, said he had been given assurance that he still had a future at the club beyond the Spanish coach he says had cast him out for being favoured by former Cranes coach Sebastien Desabre.
The former Busoga United striker quietly returned home and underwent the 14-day mandatory quarantine and packed his life back in Jinja City. At least it will not be chapatti in Jinja, at least he will not be isolated from his mates like it was at Wydad, and at least he is home.
Madondo, the revelation of the Copa post-primary national football championships in 2017, is understood to be close to burying the Wydad nightmare by joining Vipers as a free agent to gain sharpness before giving another go at professional soccer.

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