Cape Town City chairman John Comitis has criticised Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Moismane for reportedly making an offer to Aubrey Ngoma without the knowledge of the winger’s club.
The pint-sized midfielder recently extended his stay with the Citizens, which will see him remain at the club until 2021, but that that hasn’t stopped potential suitors from trying to secure his services, with Mosimane reportedly illegally doing so in a bid to bolster his squad.
Comitis released a statement condemning the actions of Mamelodi Sundowns and their mentor.
‘The current coach of Sundowns, Pitso Mosimane – who understands the FIFA rules – has made a direct approach to our contracted player, Aubrey Ngoma offering him hypothetical millions to join Sundowns next year.
‘This phone call and deal was made directly to Aubrey outside the window, days before our crucial away match with Maritzburg. This is in serious contravention of the FIFA rules governing player transfers, as no player can be directly approached while in contract with another club.
‘This tactic from Sundowns is a poor reflection of their brand and how they operate in order to advantage themselves and destabilise other clubs, especially considering that we are competing in a title race.’
With Sundowns having lost Keagan Dolly to Montpellier, the need for a quality left winger is at an all-time high and Ngoma could prove to be the ideal replacement, but Comitis insists that he has no interest in losing one of his most prized possessions.
‘For us, Aubrey holds that value, and selling him now is of no interest to me – he is in my plans for next season and has 3 years left on his contract. A bag of money cannot play on the left wing, but Aubrey can. I don’t need the money, I need quality footballers, and at the moment that is what I have.
‘Would they give me Tau? Would they give me Billiat? No. But for some reason they have an arrogance to believe they are entitled to everyone else’s best players.
‘Maybe they now believe they are above South Africa? This completely contravenes FIFA, SAFA, and PSL rules of practice, and while other clubs may accept this degrading method, I will not. My front door is never closed, everyone has my number, they know where to reach me.
‘With the Dolly transfer saga I had given them the benefit of the doubt, but now more than ever I am convinced that this is simply the way Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club operate,’ he added.
Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix
-This story originally appeared on SportsClub