Cape Town Spurs Chief Executive Officer Alexi Efstathiou has clarified the misunderstanding between Spurs, Chiefs, and reports about Asanele Velebayi.
Spurs CEO Efstathiou felt the need to clarify what transpired around Velebayi after Chiefs’ Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr mentioned that Efstathiou apologised to the club for a misunderstanding after it was alleged that the Soweto giants had directly spoken to the player.
There has been a lot of positive business between the clubs in the past years, which has seen them build a strong relationship that recently saw the Urban Warriors agree to sell Rushwin Dortley to Amakhosi.
Speaking exclusively with iDiski Times, Spurs’ CEO Efstathiou clarified that there was no need to apologise for accusing Chiefs of anything but miscommunication.
“For clarity sake, an apology was made for any misunderstanding that may have occurred regarding comments in the media about Chiefs communicating directly with the player attributed to an article in the media,” Efstathiou told iDiski Times.
“Kaizer and I discussed it, as we have a cordial relationship. [But] there is no need for an apology, if something was not said.
“We would never accuse someone with no evidence, as it would be irresponsible and unprofessional – so we did not apologise for accusing Chiefs of anything but the miscommunication.
“It’s common in football that media are often used to drive the sale of players by clubs, agents and other interested parties.
“We have no need to do that with our players, as they market themselves through their performance on the field.”
Efstathiou went on to clarify exactly what transpired between both clubs, also dismissing rumours that Velebayi had boycotted training.
“For further clarity on the other issues: Firstly, the club did meet with Asanele and his mother to brief them on all the speculation regarding his transfer.
“Secondly, Asanele has behaved professionally and has never not attended training. Thirdly, Chiefs did make a single written offer to us, which was declined.
“Fourthly, Chiefs are not the only club that have enquired about the services of Asanele. We hope that this now puts this matter to rest and we can all move on.”
Story by Sinethemba Makonco (@Makonco_M).
