Cape Town - Last season they battled it out for promotion, now Highlands Park and Baroka FC are fighting over the services of Richard Matloga.
The midfielder played a key role in helping Highlands Park gain promotion, the club ending the 2015/16 campaign second in the National First Division before winning the promotion play-offs involving Jomo Cosmos and Mbombela United.
Baroka, meanwhile, automatically qualified for promotion after winning the NFD title. The Limpopo outfit announced a week ago that they had signed Matloga, but Highlands have hit back by claiming he is still contracted to them, despite Baroka's insistence that he is a free agent.
"Richard remains our player‚ and anybody who wants the player must come to us - simple‚" Highlands director Sinky Mnisi was quoted by the Times Live.
The deal was apparently approved by the Premier Soccer League, but the Lions of the North say they have asked the governing body to review the issue in their Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC).
"He [Matloga] is with Baroka‚ they presumed to have signed him. It is their democratic right to do that‚ but this matter is in the hands of the DRC in the PSL‚" Mnisi explained.
"I have written a letter to the league to inform them that he is still our player and [his] contract states that. We will wait for the league to deal with the matter. If Baroka wants the player‚ they will have to come and discuss it with us."