The Sundowns coach has detailed the importance of making financial figures public
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi wants PSL clubs to be open about transfer fees and salaries of their players as he believes that will bring transparency.
Mngqithi, whose Sporting Director Flemming Berg recently confirmed that the club spent R194 million on four players, feels it is the right move if the speculation about salaries and transfer fees has to end in South African football.
“The issue of transfers, personally, I'm not somebody who likes secrets because I don't think it helps much when you are trying to conceal the truth, and the truth comes out,” Mngqithi said, as quoted by SABC.
“And probably that's when a lot of damage happens, but if we are honest and up front about everything when it comes to transfers, just like it happens all over the world, we don't have to answer after because at least the answers are already there.
Mngqithi wants players to earn what they deserve
“But I know sometimes that could cause issues in the change room and all that. I always say, in football you've got an opportunity, and the biggest opportunity is when you have to sign your own contract.
“You must do the best you can to get what you think you deserve, and when you don't fight at that time – if Thapelo [Maseko] comes after and fights, and he gets what he thinks he deserves.
“If you said five cents is good for you, and Thapelo says, ‘No, I need R2,' you can't come back to me and say, ‘But I don't think Thapelo deserves R2 if I'm on five cents.'”
The Sundowns coach says revealing transfer fees and salaries will also address pay disparities with players across the league earning respectable figures as a result.
Will revealing salaries end pay disparities in the PSL?
“But I wouldn't really get deeper into that. The truth is, in this issue of contracts and money spent on players, personally, I would not want these things to be hidden,” he added.
“I would really love for everything to be open and know who is earning what in that club, because that would also help other players that are maybe cheated somewhere, and you find a PSL player is still earning R5,000 or R10,000.
“So, if this [information] is in the public domain, I think every club will try to compete to be at a certain decent level in terms of figures.”
Speculation about salaries in the PSL has been rife with former Kaizer Chiefs star Keagan Dolly revealing recently how rumours that he was the highest earning PSL player saw him struggle with the weight of expectations at the club.
