Motsepe: Dolly won't leave for less than R28m

Mamelodi Sundowns say midfielder Keagan Dolly will not be allowed to leave for less than his buyout clause. Photo: Toru Hanai/Reuters

Mamelodi Sundowns say midfielder Keagan Dolly will not be allowed to leave for less than his buyout clause. Photo: Toru Hanai/Reuters

Published Jan 9, 2017

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Pretoria – Mamelodi Sundowns president Patrice Motsepe has come out to say that the club will not stand in the way of Keagan Dolly realising his dream of playing in Europe. But, Motsepe argued, European clubs interested in Dolly must respect Sundowns and pay the amount that they want and in full.

Dolly’s saga has dominated the January transfer window. Greece side Olympiacos have shown interest in the player, even matching the close to R12.5-million in his buy-out close. But after that offer, Sundowns turned around to say that they made a mistake it should be R28-million.

“I cannot create my own facts,” Motsepe said. “The truth is the truth whether I like it or not. We bought Keagan from Ajax (Cape Town). We paid his salary whilst he was at Ajax because he was part of our plans in the future. It’s a very simple issue. There was an agreement. I have seen somethings in the media that are totally incorrect. There was an agreement with Keagan.

“When he came back, the PSL said you have to change the contract. You can’t have the previous agreement you had (when he was still at Ajax). A mistake was made. The buy-out clause was R10 (for example), as everyone agreed, but an official from Sundowns made a mistake. Instead of saying that the buy-out clause is R10, they said it’s R5. Some of the board members thought, ‘Wow! Somebody at Sundowns is being paid to change the clause.’ There were claims of bribery and corruption. But my standpoint was that it was a genuine error. We didn’t know about it, until an offer arrived from Olympiacos.”

Dolly took Sundowns to the Premier Soccer League’s dispute resolution chamber and he lost. Dolly’s represantatives are currently weighing the option of taking the matter to Fifa. Despite that, Motsepe said the club will not stand in his way should the right offer come because when they signed Sibusiso Vilakazi, Yannick Zakri and Thapelo Morena, they were preparing for the eventuality of losing players like Dolly.

“Every club has to have players who will replace those who are either injured or those we get offers from other clubs,” Motsepe said. “We have received inquiries for three players (Khama Billiat, Dolly and Leonardo Castro). We received an offer for one specific player (Dolly). It’s unbelievable that when we want to buy a player – in South Africa, Africa or South America – we have to pay the full purchase price upfront. They want Africa to subsidize Europe.

“The offers we have received for every player without exception, they say we will pay you over the next 12 to 18 months or even two years. That’s preposterous. We have never bought a player and had to ask a club to subsidize us. Keagan has a buy-out clause. That’s why we say that if we get an offer, not next week, not tomorrow but today, we will release him immediately. It’s very important for us to keep the morale and the motivation at the club at it’s optimum. If a player wants to leave, you have to let him go."

Independent Media

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