adminThe Botswana international signed a three-year contract worth 400 000 pula with the platinum miners in March and was expected to join the Zvishavane side during the mid-season transfer-window but was later sold to Bloemfontein Celtic for 3 million pula.
However, Mochudi Centre Chiefs insist that the player only signed a pre-contract with FC Platinum which he later terminated. Mogorosi, who was a vital cog in inspiring Mochudi Centre Chiefs to winning the championship, attracted the interest of Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates and Bloemfontein Celtics.
A highly-placed source at Zifa confirmed that FC Platinum approached the national association on the matter and now they were waiting for a response from the Botswana Football Association (BFA).
“The chief executive officer (Jonathan Mashingaidze) is handling the matter and as far as I know he wrote BFA sometime last week. Mashingaidze is the best person to comment on the matter but at the moment he is out of the country,” said the source.
FC Platinum believe they have a strong case against the Botswana champions and according to them Mogorosi signed a contract.
“What we are saying is that the player is ours and we should be the ones who should be negotiating with whoever wants his services. He signed a contract with us and we have the signed papers as proof.
Things should be made right because there are rules and regulations that should be followed.
“If we do not make a breakthrough, we will take the matter up with Caf and Fifa because we want things done the correct way,” said FC Platinum chairman Thadson Zhou.
In a telephone interview from Botswana, Mochudi Centre Chiefs spokesman Clifford Mogomotsi confirmed receiving correspondence from FC Platinum through the BFA and said they were ready to negotiate with the Zvishavane side.
He however argued that they had the right to sell Mogorosi to Bloemfontein Celtics and said everything was done above board.
“You see what happened is that Mogorosi signed a pre-contract with FC Platinum which he later terminated through a letter he wrote to FC Platinum. The Zimbabwean club never responded to the letter. As Chiefs, it is against our principles to force a player to join a certain club and when he (Mogorosi) informed us that he had changed his mind and wanted to go to South Africa, we could not block him.
“With that said, we are waiting for FC Platinum to approach us in the same manner they did when they wanted the player so that we discuss how best to compensate them. We are ready to pay them but they have never been in touch with us. Actually we were surprised when we received a letter from Zifa through the BFA last week and we have since sent our response to the BFA,” said Mogomotsi.
It seems from what the two clubs are saying, the Mogorosi saga is far from being over.
According to media reports in Botswana, this is not the first time that Mochudi Centre Chiefs have been involved in botched player transfer deals. In 2010, Mozambique’s Maculmana league champions Liga Maculmana reportedly agreed on a P70 000 deal with the Botswana club for the transfer of striker Pontsho Moloi which they paid but up to this day the Mozambican club claims they have not received their money back or the player.
Online Reporter