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Cape Town - Orlando Pirates striker Justin Shonga denied claims by Mamelodi Sundowns that he signed a pre-contract agreement with Masandawana before joining the Buccaneers.
The Pretoria-based side insisted Shonga was their player, with coach Pitso Mosimane claiming to have been present when the Zambian signed for Sundowns prior to his move to Pirates in September 2017.
A legal battle between the clubs looked on the cards, but no such showdown ensued.
Shonga netted a brace for Pirates in Sunday's 4-2 win over Chippa United, which sent them second in the standings - four points behind Sundowns.
Should he help the Sowetan side steal the title in the dying stages of the season, the Brazilians will likely be fuming. However, Shonga insists he never signed for Mosimane's team.
"I never signed any pre-contract with Sundowns," Shonga told Kick-off website.
"I went to visit them and they showed us the contract. I said I will come and join them in January, but by then, Pirates came up and I thought about the game-time and I knew here I would have had that.
"The coach [Milutin Sredejovic] spoke to me and he wanted to bring me here. I saw Sundowns have a good team and were together for many years."
However, Shonga refused to rule out a future move to Masandawana, admitting: "I would have had a chance to play there but I opted for Pirates. But with time in my career, I can still go there at Sundowns. I won't say I won't go there. It is football."
