Ajax Cape Town defender Rivaldo Coetzee has returned to training and has subsequently apologised for his three-week absence from the club, amid reports linking him with a move to Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Bafana Bafana international defender looks set to remain with the Urban Warriors after he and his agent Mike Makaab met with Ajax CEO Ari Efstathiou and resolved the 20-year-old’s future with the club.

With two years left on his contract, Coetzee looked poised for move elsewhere, after his failure to show up to pre-season at the Ikamva-based outfit. However, Coetzee has since gone on to apologise publicly for his behaviour.

“Firstly, I would like to apologise to the club, to the coaches and all my teammates for the way I behaved for the past three weeks,” he said in a video released on Ajax’s official twitter account.

“Ajax Cape Town has played a big role in my career and development so far. The club and I are working together to develop even further.

“I am happy to say I spoke to coach Menzo and I apologised to him. We will decide what the future holds for me at the club. I am happy to say I have returned to training with the MDC team,” he added.

The first team are currently in Johannesburg, and will face Maritzburg United in their next season encounter after defeating SuperSport United 2-1 in Atteridgeville on Monday evening.

Efstathiou accepted Coetzee’s “heartfelt apology” on behalf of the club and revealed that Coetzee is willing to accept any disciplinary action that comes his way.

“Rivaldo offered a heartfelt apology to the club; staff, coaches, and to our fans, one which we have accepted.

“We are happy that he has taken responsibility for his actions in a mature manner and accepted any decision made by the DC regarding his absence from training since the start of pre-season.”

– This story originally appeared on SportsClub.co.za