Publications
Partners
Cape Town – Bidvest Wits released a statement regarding the comments Pitso Mosimane said on Mamelodi Sundowns pursuing Sibusiso Vilakazi in the January transfer market.
The statement is as follows:
“Bidvest Wits wish to express their outrage with the public statements attributed to Mamelodi Sundowns Head Coach, Pitso Mosimane, in the said article, which are disrespectful and contemptuous of Bidvest Wits, it’s management, technical staff and players," said the statement on the club's website.
"The article starts off by saying that “Pitso Mosimane says that Sibusiso Vilakazi still wants to play for Mamelodi Sundowns”. That the player “still wants to” suggests that Mr Mosimane has established this after the transfer window period has closed. It begs the question then, as to how exactly was this established, after the transfer window closed.
"He is further quoted as saying that M. Sundowns “engaged Wits and the player (Sibusiso Vilakazi) wants to come to us”.
"Not happy with that, Mr Mosimane goes on to say ” It’s not a big secret, otherwise you would not been asking and writing, otherwise he (S. Vilakazi) could have said long ago, ‘I’m moving nowhere, I’m happy at Wits.” – suggesting that the player is unhappy being with Bidvest Wits and not to have been transferred to Sundowns. “The player”, he says, “wants a different environment” and this, Mr Mosimane suggests, is the reason why “we (Sundowns) approached Wits”.
"And just in case anybody had missed his point, Mr. Mosimane makes a final categorical statement: “S’bu wants to play for us and we want S’bu to play for us”!
"The statements leave no room for interpretation: the Head Coach of M. Sundowns says that a player under contract to another club, namely, Sibusiso Vilakazi, is an unhappy player at Bidvest Wits; he wants ‘out’ of Bidvest Wits; and most importantly, the player wants to go and play for Mr Mosimane’s club.
"These are appalling statements, about a player under contract to another club, from a man who is the Head Coach of a prestigious club and of considerable stature. They are reprehensible, and as Mr Mosimane would put it, in the said article, straight “from the boot of a car”! This time, Mr Mosimane has gone too far – he has used the media to direct his contempt for, and disrespect at, Bidvest Wits, it’s management, technical staff and players.
"The norm in football is that what transpires in discussions between the management of two clubs in relation to the potential transfer of a player is not for public consumption. We would have preferred it that way, in relation to Sibusiso Vilakazi, but Mr Mosimane could not resist getting involved and going public with an issue that is not in the domain of a football coach.
"We are therefore left with no option but to publicly rebuke these statements, designed to embarrass and denegrade Bidvest Wits.
"We are appalled by the hypocrisy of these statements, when just a season and a half ago, in an article by the same publication Mr Mosimane “fumed” and called for “Moroka Swallows and Kaizer Chiefs to show his team respect with regards to their statements in the media about Edward Manqele”.
"He was then said to be “spitting fire about the way Amakhosi and the Dube Birds are handling the Manqele issue” and he was quoted to say: “We can’t be pushed around and release a player to our opposition. Imagine if I went around in the media and said ‘we want Parker and maybe we can afford him’! But I don’t go around and make those kind of arguments. I will leave Chiefs to talk about my player in the media,” I also saw Swallows’ coach [Zeca Marques] saying the player must go to Chiefs and it’s surprising because this player is scoring goals for Swallows … somewhere and somehow where are the ethics and respect?”, he said.
"Where are the ethics and respect, now?
"We are appalled with the statement that “S’bu wants to play for us and we want S’bu to play for us”, and we are appalled at the arrogant presumption that our player was unhappy at Bidvest Wits and will, seemingly, only find happiness when he joins Mr Mosimane’s club. We are proud of the fact that we have created a professional environment where players are treated with respect and feel welcome.
"We have never considered retrenching a Bidvest Wits player, let alone before he has ever kicked a ball for us in a competitive match. When it comes to players wanting to leave their club for other clubs, we suggest Mr Mosimane concern himself with his own squad of players.
"We are appalled at the pitiable attempt at putting pressure on Bidvest Wits with this article, with a view to “forcing” our club into agreeing to the transfer of our player to M. Sundowns in January. Mind games are an art, best left to those who have mastered it. It has not worked nor will it ever work with Bidvest Wits.
"Sibusiso Vilakazi will leave Bidvest Wits for another club if and when both Bidvest Wits and the player are satisfied that it is in the best interests of both club and player, no matter who the interested club may be! No person outside Bidvest Wits will ever have a say, or the right to interfere, in the transfer of a Bidvest Wits player to another club.
"We have met with our player, and our assurances to him about his future, being private and not for public consumption, have undoubtedly left him satisfied that he needs not to fear for his career.
"Finally, and lest there is any doubt about our position: We will not tolerate any disrespect of our club, Bidvest Wits, it’s management, technical staff and players, and anyone who feels that they can do so, will find that we will be resolute and uncompromising in taking the necessary steps to redress any such situation."
