adminexpiry of his initial deal at the end of the 2012-13 Absa Premiership season.
The Zimbabwean international had an initial three-year deal at the Brazilians since his arrival at Sundowns in 2010 together with fellow countrymen and former CAPS United teammates Nyasha Mushekwi and Lionel Mtizwa.
Mwanjali’s profile at the Brazilians even rose to a high when he was named the Mamelodi Sundowns captain but it has emerged that the utility man could be forced to spend the off-season break waiting anxiously on the wings as he has not yet been offered a fresh deal by the big-spending club.
While Sundowns were quick to exercise their first option privilege when Mushekwi’s contract expired and also offered a fresh two year-deal to Nyandoro, it has emerged that coach Pitso Mosimane and the club’s management are still mum on Mwanjali.
Sundowns would also have to decide on what to do with returning midfielder Mtizwa who was on a season’s loan at University of Pretoria.
Sources close to the Brazilians indicated yesterday that the Sundowns management would apart from dealing with Mwanjali and Mtizwa’s fate, also need to finalise on the five foreigners that will make up their quota for the 2013-14 season.
“Method still has to sort out his contract issue with Sundowns because it expired at the end of the season.
“It would appear that the management has adopted a wait and see attitude and is using the Asiagate case to hold up matters related to Method’s contract because they have not officially offloaded him and neither have they have given him a new deal.
“So it could be that Asiagate is hindering everything but at the end of the day Sundowns must have five foreigners on their squad list and so far they have Cuthbert Malajila, Nyasha Mushekwi, Elias Pelembe, a Belgian goalkeeper and a defender from Ghana.
“They also have Lionel Mtizwa reverting to being their player as well as Method and so far they have taken a decision to offload two Ghanaians,’’ the sources said.
It also emerged that on the provisional squad list that Mosimane is said to have drafted for next season so far, Mwanjali’s name does not feature “largely because of the uncertainty surrounding his contract for now’’.
“What is curious is that no one is saying anything at the moment from within the club’s management but may be things will become clearer in the next few weeks because technically Lionel is still their player since he has a contract with them and they would have to decide on what to do with him now,’’ said the sources.
Mwanjali has however, received support from Sundowns in his appeal against the Asiagate ban and is expected to also use the off-season break to fight to have his name cleared from the match-fixing allegations.
Mtizwa’s career has been blighted by a troublesome knee injury that meant that he did not play regularly for the entire season he was at University of Pretoria. In fact the former CAPS United midfielder has to live in the shadows of his compatriot and goalkeeper Washington Arubi who was voted the club’s Player of the Season after excelling in his first season at AmaTuks following his move from Dynamos in June last year.
Although Sundowns exercised their option to retain to Mushekwi the club is understood to be ready to take offers for the striker whose agent Ralph Nkomo has been targeting a move to either Germany or Belgium.
Malajila’s arrival after a fine season with Maritzburg United and the fact that Sundowns have knocked on the SuperSport United doors for the services of Kermit Erasmus has also heightened the belief that coach Mosimane is ready to let Mushekwi go.
Online Reporter