Cape Town Spurs CEO Alexi Efstathiou has issued a response regarding ‘unsettled’ players at the club following Rushwin Dortley’s sale to Kaizer Chiefs.
iDiski Times reported in this week’s newspaper that with several key players being linked with exits from the Urban Warriors, the defender’s exit has now raised the eyebrows of others hoping to secure deals.
Efstathiou responded to the story, saying that it is not the club’s decisions unsettling the players, but rather outside influences.
“What I’ve said to those players is that Chiefs have been interested in Rushwin since two years ago, it didn’t happen yesterday,” Efstathiou told iDiski Times.
“Some of these players that are now in demand weren’t really at the point that they are today. So it doesn’t mean because Rushwin’s deal was done it means that everyone else must have a deal, it doesn’t work like that.
“This is, unfortunately, the business side of football.”
Efstathiou said that while there had been offers rejected, a lot of the talk was not concrete, but if acceptable offers were to come in, they would be considered, but to a point. He also said that many valuations and offers are fiction on social media, but not the reality.
“Some offers, and values only exist on social media. But there have been some verbal, well, not even offers, interest, let’s call it. Some have been in writing but rejected, which is normal,” he continued.
“Of course, we will always look at an offer and we never stand in a player’s way. If the interest is not activated now, and I mean, we kick off in three weeks’ time, and these team suddenly decide now they’re going to come in with an offer – then the transfer window’s around the corner and then we’re stuck.”
“We’ve got a responsibility to the club and to everyone, it’s not just about an individual player. That’s what I told a player today. ‘This is not about you. For you, it’s about you. But for me, it’s about the whole club. So it’s not a decision because it’s in your interest that everyone must suddenly jump’. It doesn’t work like that.”
Efstathiou also believes players should remain professional despite being wanted by other clubs.
“A player commits his services to the club for a period of time and to be paid a certain amount of money,” he added.
“That’s an agreement. Okay. So once an agreement is signed, it signed, and they have to see that that’s a professional, a professional is not someone that decides it’s his time to move, and therefore, he’s going to act unprofessionally to make that happen under any circumstance, otherwise the contracts got no value.”
