Chippa to pay GU P450,000 for botched transfers
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday October 23, 2020 14:04
Chippa signed the duo from GU in 2018 for a combined R1.2 million (approximately P900,000). However, GU complained before FIFA in May that the Port Elizabeth club never paid the agreed amount.
On June 12, the FIFA Players Status Committee ruled Chippa were liable to pay GU R600,000 after the Reds took the matter to the world governing body.
“We sold two players to Chippa United but they never paid despite several reminders. We decided to escalate the matter to FIFA and Chippa has now agreed to pay us R600,000. The initial agreement was that we sell those players at R600,000 each, making a total amount of up to R1.2m. We later agreed that they bring Kgamanyane back to us and pay the rest of the amount. FIFA has since intervened and Chippa has agreed to pay the remaining balance,” GU chairperson, Boitumelo Nsunge said.
In response, Chippa accused GU of poor administration, but admitted that they will pay Moyagoleele R600,000 to avoid a possible transfer ban.
“This matter concerns the transfer of two players from Gaborone United in Botswana to the club in the 2018-2019 season, which was arranged through an erstwhile director at Gaborone United. Later, there were direct talks between the parties that involved Chippa United assisting to try returning one of the players back to Gaborone United FC, as the player had been linked with opposition teams in Botswana at the time. Having paid certain amounts towards the transfer and the release of the players, we considered the matter finalised,” a statement from Chippa reads.
“To our surprise, we received a letter of demand for transfer fees from another individual that we knew to be a team owner in South Africa. Accordingly, we defended this through our attorneys. In May this year, we received communication from FIFA on this matter from a different set of individuals, who claimed to be representatives of Gaborone United. We defended ourselves with the world football body, including the fact that we had earlier responded to a separate demand for the same matter. Subsequently, we were surprised to note that a judgement had been granted against the club on May 25 in favour of Gaborone United FC, without any acknowledgment of our response through alternative, the right to appeal the decision. We have been waiting for a FIFA response since July 21, 2020. In the meantime, the club has decided that it will immediately pay the amounts as per FIFA decision in order for the registration process of its players to be completed, while we wait for FIFA to respond.”
Kgamanyane penned a two and half-year deal with the Reds upon his return in January 2019 while Seakanyeng moved to Maltese club, Lija Athletic. But the winger is now a free agent after parting ways with the club and is said to be on the radar of league champions, Jwaneng Galaxy.