Richards Bay have confirmed the termination of former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Siyethemba Sithebe for gross misconduct.
The 31-year-old has been a regular at the Natal Rich Boys after joining at the start of the season from the Glamour Boys. He was brought in to help the youngsters deliver in the Premier Soccer League.
However, he has ended up playing just eight matches for the club across all competitions. Sithebe is accused of fighting the technical team and underrating the team after the 1-0 loss against SuperSport United on December 6.
We can't coexist like that
“We are like a Stellenbosch team and we say, we need certain players to help the young players to grow,” the club's chairman Sifiso Biyela told Sportswire.
“That’s why we signed Sithebe, Thabiso Kutumela because we want them to play this role of seniority. Now, if you don’t behave well, because this thing it has nothing to do with football on the pitch.
“We lost painfully against SuperSport having dominated the game. But when we are done talking and you raise your hands and you insult coaches in the dressing room, it means in the next game you have to play by force and we cannot co-exist like that.
“As a senior player what you should do, ‘Guys, you played well, and unfortunately that we missed the penalty’, encourage the boys to show you are a senior player.”
Sithebe, Kutumela roles explained
Biyela further revealed the senior players were signed to serve as an example for the youngsters and ensure they deliver both on and off the pitch.
“We have players like Kutumela who have not played for quite a number of games but the attitude is still the same. The way they pushed at training is still the same,” he continued.
“We explained their roles even before we signed them during the off-season and what we liked them to do at this club. So, we cannot accept when we are in this situation [in the relegation zone] and allow coaches not to have a grip on the club because that will mean another player will do that.”
How Sithebe was dismissed by Richards Bay
“We didn’t just terminate the contract; he was called for the DC and we have a statement where he agreed that he made a mistake and he needed to appear to the DC. He agreed because we had to hire lawyers. After all, we were doing this externally,” Biyela added.
“So, as it is now, I don’t even know who was our lawyer representing the club. On the date of the DC, he told us that he had been advised by his uncle and his agent [Musa Sithebe] not to appear in front of the DC.
“We had all the statements that confirm what happened. Unfortunately, we have 28 players and we cannot allow such a situation for a player to disrespect coaches. I found myself at the crossroads to either lose more players by losing the entire changing room or to lose one player, so we decided to terminate the contract of Sithebe,” Biyela concluded.
