Systems get P0.00 from Montsho's China move
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday March 16, 2024 06:00
Montsho becomes the first local woman footballer to move to Asia after reportedly penning a 12-month contract with an option of extension by a further year.
The central defender was invited for a two-week trial with the team based in the east-central province of China. She did enough to impress the struggling side as two days into her trial in February, Henan Jianye FC made inquiries about the tireless defender's services.
Systems put a $10,000 (around P135,000) price tag but were surprised to learn that they are not entitled to a transfer fee as the local women's game is played at the amateur level. Speaking to MmegiSport, Systems' secretary-general, Billy Molebatsi, said the player was contracted with the mother company and designated as a football player as per the norm in local football scenes. Molebatsi said Montsho had a running contract with Systems allowing her to be registered on FIFA Connect by the Botswana Football Association (BFA).
"It is true, Systems did not benefit anything and we are very disappointed in the sense that Masego Montsho was our player and had a running contract. The team in China did everything by book when they invited her for trials. They was impressed just after two days and they wrote to us seeking a release letter. But we wrote back and notified them the player is contracted to us and she is not a free agent. We asked for $10,000 but we were shocked to learn in their counter offer letter that there could have been interference from someone at the BFA.
The club, in the letter, said the player is an amateur and there cannot be a transfer fee because she was not a professional," said Molebatsi. He said since the player was already in China and Systems agreed to not stand in her way, they sent the player's release letter. Molebatsi said the club had hoped that Henan Jianye FC would also write to request the player to be released from FIFA Connect as a Systems player but to the club's shock, she was already cleared. "As to who had cleared her on the FIFA Connect, we do not know.
This was done without our approval by someone at the BFA. Because we wrote to them (Henan) to agree on the release letter but it was not yet activated but someone at the BFA had already released her. We felt we could not take the issue lying down and we are in the process of writing a complaint letter to the BFA so that they can intervene," said Molebatsi. He said recent women players' transfers abroad were fully compensated and it is a mystery why Systems has not benefited from Montsho's services. "We were caught napping because all these things happened when she was already in China. So we did not want to frustrate her while her heart was already on the move and while she was in a foreign country. We allowed for the release letter and we would pursue the issue while she is there.
We will not let this lie down; we will get to the bottom of the matter," said Molebatsi. Montsho was signed by Systems from BDF XI and she has previously played for Township Rollers in the local league. She was an integral part of the Mares' 2022 and 2024 WAFCON qualifying squads.
Montsho is set for a huge payday as the average salary for foreign players in the Chinese Women's Super League is $50,000 (approximately P670,000). The local women players' abroad contingent now rises to six. Sedilame Bosija and Refilwe Tholakele are based in South Africa with champions, Mamelodi Sundowns. Esalenna Galekhutle and Thuto Ramafifi play USA college football with Oklahoma University and Albany State University while Thanda Mokgabo is in Zambia with Yasa Queens.