Cape Town Spurs Chief Executive Officer Alexi Efstathiou has revealed why the move of Asanele Velabayi to Kaizer Chiefs did not happen.
Velebayi has been one of the most talked about players during this past transfer window after he had been linked with a move to Chiefs in the off-season.
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Unfortunately, the Bafana Bafana winger’s move to Amakhosi collapsed after both parties couldn’t agree on a fee.
The Spurs CEO explained to iDiski Times that they did all they could to assist the move to happen but Chiefs never came back with an acceptable figure.
“There was interest from three different clubs locally and there was interest from overseas as well but the overseas ones I think were more difficult and more speculative than the local ones.” Efstathiou told iDiski Times.
“I would say mostly verbal, if you want to call it a serious offer, the one that came in writing from Kaizer Chiefs probably a month ago which we declined as it was substantially lower than the asking price.”
After that, was there no other?
“Not in writing, there were further discussions in actual fact if I’m not mistaken on Monday,” Efstathiou continued.
“We spoke with them [Chiefs] again, we said listen these are the numbers we looking for, this is how we can assist in making the deal more palatable to you and they promised to come back to us on the next day, whether it was accepted or not. Unfortunately, they did not.
“I think the next contact was on Thursday telephonically but the discussion proved fruitless as the numbers were way apart.
“The important thing here is that we did three other transfers, one with Kaizer Chiefs and then we did two with Stellenbosch so it’s not that we were not willing to do the deal with Chiefs.
“Clubs, buying or selling, determine the value of the transaction.
“I think the complication in this deal was when someone leaked the fact that we were in talks with Chiefs. Had this not happened, I think this deal would have probably happened and gone a lot smoother.
“As with the other transfers, had the confidentiality been maintained between the two clubs, we believe things could have been different. Asanele’s situation blew out of proportion in the media and the waters became muddy for both parties. There are people who believe using social media to achieve their goals is the way to go.
“With our experience, sometimes managers and agents try and influence these things and possibly use media to fuel uncertainty and create chaos, making all parties unhappy with each other, more especially the player, creating a toxic environment that is not conducive to constructive negotiations.
“A young player, like Asanele and any other young player, needs mature, well-thought-out and planned guidance. The football world is ruthless and the choice of people around you can make or break you.”
Efstathiou also explained they did all they could from their side but also really value the 21-year-old, admitting the whole saga negatively affected their brand.
“This has been a very difficult time for Asanele, and very frustrating, but he has handled it well. When the dust settles, he will realise that from the Cape Town Spurs side, we did our utmost best to assist in a successful move for him, as we did with the other players,” he added.
“However, because we highly rate Asanele we, as the selling club, were not willing to devalue him.
“One day Asa will realise and appreciate that the value we’ve put on him is something he should look at with pride. Other clubs out there may not see or know the intrinsic, rare talent that is abundant in Asanele. Yes, he is a diamond, in fact, a red diamond of which only approximately 30 exist in the world today!
“It is important to note that our brand has been negatively impacted by all this. A transfer in and out of the club, is thoroughly discussed with the management and technical team at all times. Not one person ever makes a decision as there are so many variables to be assessed with transferring of players.
“Cape Town Spurs F.C. are not new at this. We pride ourselves in being an honourable club with the sole purpose in advancing youth football in the country. With over 107 professional players being produced in the past three decades, we will remain resolute to our mantra, OUR YOUTH , OUR FUTURE.”
