Gilbert Munetsi
Marshall Munetsi, a central midfielder with the Zimbabwe Warriors, has extended his contract with Stade Reims by another year after penning a new deal that will expire in 2027. The new contract is effective today, Saturday May 6.
In 2022, Munetsi had agreed terms with the French Ligue 1 side that was supposed to lapse in 2026. The two parties have, however, agreed to a further 12-month extension, amid speculation that some clubs in Europe had reportedly shown interest in having him on their books.
They include Bournemouth and Brighton.
“Already 1273 Kilometres in the red and white dress and it’s not going to stop! Marshall Munetsi extends the adventure at Reims until 2027,” Stade Reims posted on their Facebook page Friday.
As part of the clause in the new contract, his club will donate €100 to the Marshall Munetsi Foundation for evert every kilometre he runs. The foundation – towards which Munetsi donates 10% of his salary - benefits school children, particularly from poor backgrounds, with tuition.
Stade de Reims general manager Mathieu Lacour said of the new development with the Zimbabwean signing:
“We added a new clause in his contract, a kind of mileage bonus. It was important to us to promote this type of personal initiative.
“It is customary to caricature football and the professional footballer as being disconnected from the world around him. Marshall, through his actions, helps to silence certain prejudices.
“By managing to keep our major elements, we are entering a new phase of the project. We do not simply extend the player, but also the man. It may sound a bit cliché and that’s why it was important to follow the words with concrete actions.”
Today Reims are at home in a league encounter against Lille.
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