Soweto giants Orlando Pirates surprised many people by signing Sipho Mbule a couple of days ago.
Mamelodi Sundowns released the 27-year-old former SuperSport United midfielder following the expiry of his contract. Initially, Kaizer Chiefs had been linked with the versatile Bafana Bafana international, but it was the Sea Robbers who ended up getting the towering player.
His agent Mike Makaab has now opened up on how the situation was for his client before his recent move.
‘We couldn't do anything until June 1'
“Let me address your comment, you were expecting to see him somewhere else, that was speculation,” Makaab told Gagasi FM.
“Don’t forget that Sipho Mbule was only declared a free agent on 1 June because Sundowns had an option until the end of May – so we could not do anything with Sipho until the 1st of June.
Firstly from a contractual points of view and secondly from an ethical point of view. We don’t like to deal in a way where we’re talking to clubs while the player is contracted to another club, and a possibility is that a player’s contract might be extended.
“So to put the record straight, we only started looking at options for Sipho on 1 June,” he stated.
Middle East and North African teams wanted Mbule
“A lot of people have said Why do you have to phone clubs? Why don’t clubs phone you? Sometimes clubs do phone me, sometimes agents phone clubs, particularly if you have good relationships,” he continued.
“Sipho Mbule with all his issues, is a top-class football player and it was always my opinion that he would either go to a club in North Africa, we had a lot of interest in the Middle East, particularly from three clubs in Dubai, and then we were of the opinion that it would be a big club in South Africa that would be interested or could sign him.
“This business about making these misconceptions regarding I deal with Mamelodi Sundowns in one way, Kaizer Chiefs in another way, Pirates in a different way, Sekhukhune United… It’s not true at all.
‘Clubs have the right to make decisions'
“One thing I’ll never do, and I’ve been accused of this, take a player and try market the player to get another club interested – absolutely not,” Makaab added.
The truth of the matter is that, of course, we were talking to a few clubs, of course, there was interest, but I’m going to this and I’m going to say this for the last time – football clubs have a right to make decisions. Not based on what consensus is.
“No football club in the world signs a player because they believe that’s what its fanbase wants,” Makaab concluded.
