Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Thandani Ntshumayelo's agent, Tim Sukazi, hopes the player's admission of guilt for using a class A substance will see his four-year ban from playing football significantly reduced.
Ntshumayelo was recently sentenced to a four-year ban from football for testing positive for cocaine.
Pirates then terminated Ntshumayelo's contract after he was found guilty by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS).
The 26-year-old confessed to snorting three lines of cocaine at a party and admitted his guilt for the offence.
'Bibo' tested positive following a routine drug test he took after a Premiership match between Pirates and Platinum Stars on January 9.
The midfielder had one-year remaining on his contract with Bucs, but it has since been terminated after a hearing was held by the club.
This was earlier confirmed by Sukazi, who said: "He pleaded guilty but the club terminated his contract. They ceased all his salary payments with immediate effect."
Nonetheless, Ntshumayelo has 21 days to appeal his four-year ban by SAIDS, from the day the sentence was handed down on Tuesday, August 23.
Sukazi has since revealed he is hopeful that the player's admission of guilt will see the four-year sentence reduced on appeal.
He told Kwese Sports: "We're not dealing with someone who pleaded not guilty. He went in to the hearing with (SAIDS) very open and clearly illustrated his remorse. I've no idea on how much his sentence could be reduced. It was out of character he used those substances."
Sukazi added: "We're shocked by this whole event and were caught with our pants down on it. From what I've seen of the precedent in other similar cases, he could hopefully get a two-year reduction on his ban. Obviously he's devastated."
