Striker Yves Mugunga has told Kiyovu Sports that he wants to leave the club and wants his contract terminated with immediate effect due to unpaid wages.

The forward joined the Mumena-based side from APR in August but he looks set to leave the club sooner than expected over failure to clear his wage arrears for three months. He has, as a result, not reported to training for the past couple days citing illness behind his absence.

The player’s future at Kiyovu now hangs up in the air as he now considers terminating his contract with the Mumena-based side as he accuses the club of issuing a bounced cheque with which he was due to withdraw the amount that was remaining on his sign on fee.

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" I didn’t report to work because I was sick and, in addition, you gave me a bounced cheque,” the player said in a letter, dated on December 19, addressed to Kiyovu Sports.

"Also, remember that I have not yet been paid my salary so I could at least get the necessary support I needed during my sickness in order to return to the training quickly because they had found an infection in my blood."

"My wish, in accordance to the difficult life that I am going through at Kiyovu related to my professional work, it is hard for me to play when I don't get a salary because it has been three months now without being paid. This is the reason I have asked you to terminate my contract and give me a release letter and look for another team," he added.

Kiyovu’s tug of war

Kiyovu have been struggling to pay salaries for players during the ongoing 2023/24 season and Mugunga is among players who are unhappy with the situation.

While he cited illness behind his recent absence from club training, his employers aren’t convinced with his reasons as long as the club doctor was not informed about his state of health.

The club also described his reasons for not reporting to training as ‘baseless’ and distanced itself from issug a bounced cheque.

"The fact that you have not received your salary should be reason not to report to training because you are not the only player that the club owes the salary,” the club told Mugunga in a letter dated Wednesday, December 20.

Mugunga is now suspended from all club’s football activities until further notice as club management examines his situation.

Mugunga becomes the second player reported to have handed in a contract termination request due to unpaid salaries after skipper Olivier Niyonzima who is also linked to a move back to Rayon Sports.

Kiyovu ended the first round of the 2023/24 Primus National League at 6th position with 21 points from 15 games.