Moorosi Tsiane
LAST month it was announced that DStv Premiership side, Chippa United, had shown interest in the Bantu defending duo of Bokang Sello and Tsietsi Khooa.
Bantu further confirmed that Chippa had already agreed terms with the two who were expected to sign two-year contract once the negotiations had been concluded.
Fast forward to this week, the deal has been stalling. In fact, it may end up falling through.
Ever since Sello and Khooa started training with Chippa, the Port Elizabeth outfit has been announcing new acquisitions and some are for the same positions played by the Bantu duo.
That has been really worrying especially for Sello who will be signed as a foreigner should the deal end up materialising.
For me, this takes us back to what I have always said about local players needing agents to ensure smoother processes when they attempt to sign for foreign clubs.
That is how things are done in a professional set up. A player just doesn’t show up and negotiate his own contract. There must be someone with expertise in that field who helps them. It is an agent’s job to be the conduit between the club and the player. He is the one who ensures that the player’s needs and expectations are met by the club.
Agents are essential intermediaries or managers who take care of the nitty gritties of the contract.
Normally, it never takes more than a month for a team to sign a player if it is really interested in his services. That Chippa has been dragging this deal leaves a lot to be desired especially now that the league has started.
I believe this deal could have long been completed should the duo had proper representation which is respected by Chippa.
I am not taking anything away from the Bantu management which has been working hard to seal the deal and avoid frustrating players. I know they have given their all to the negotiations but Chippa has been dragging its feet.
Our level of football is lower than that of South Africa and I believe many of the teams in more developed leagues will not give us much respect when it comes to players negotiations. This is exactly why players need agents who understand the system much better.
However, I hope and pray that the deal doesn’t fall through especially now that the boys have been with the team for over a month. Should the move fail, it will take a lot for the boys to recover from the heartbreak.
