Chiefs faced with player exodus

THATO KALA
Correspondent | Wednesday June 22, 2011 00:00

 

The contracts of key players like Moloi, Moemedi 'Jomo' Maotlhaping, Tshepo Motlhabankwe, Oteng Moalosi, Jabu Pilane and goalkeeper Noah Maposa have expired with indications that they are looking for greener pastures after the club's failure to consistently shell out their dues last season. Moloi has said that while he loves the Kgatleng giants, he does not rule out the possibility of moving if a better offer comes.

'Look, football is my job and I'm obviously keen to get the best deal. So I can't rule out the possibility of moving to another team, but my first preference remains Chiefs,' he said. Moloi and his former Bay United teammate, Maposa, penned contract extensions before joining the South African side two seasons ago.

They are yet to get the P25, 000 signing-on fees they were promised at the time. Chiefs have been facing financial difficulties for sometime and reports say that before Zimbabwean coach, Rahman Gumbo left to join Platinum Stars, he had been given a directive by management to get rid of some of the club's highest earners.

Some of the senior players at the club earn as much as P13,000. The order to ship out some of the players came after Chiefs' financier, Maclean Letshwiti proposed a cut down of the P168,000 monthly wage bill. Last October, the wage bill was cut by half after Letshwiti availed P80,000 only for salaries.

At some point last season, the club struggled to pay players and a planned boycott was averted through Gumbo's persuasive skills. Matters were not helped by the fact that at a time when Chiefs was struggling to consistently pay salaries, they forked out a tidy sum to get Joel Mogorosi from Rollers. The club doubled Mogorosi's salary to P12,000 on top of a signing on fee of P30,000.