East London - Chippa United bosses surprised the people of the Eastern Cape again when they terminated the contracts of “most experienced players” on Thursday.
Andile Mbenyane, Thabo Rakhale, Lehlogonolo Masalesa, Diamond Thopola and Kurt Lentjies have all been released.
No statement was released by the Port Elizabeth-based side when I’solezwe lesiXhosa (IOL Sport) tried to call people with authority to confirm the news, calls went unanswered. But one of the axed players, Andile Mbenyane, confirmed that indeed he is one of the players that were released today.
“Yes, it is true but I cannot talk further at the moment,” said Mbenyane. For now, it is not clear what actually prompted the club to release players when they are really needed. The Chilli-Boys are not yet out of the woods as they leave the team at the end with only six points.
According to people in the know, one of the reasons that pushed Norman Mapeza to haphazardly resign was ill-discipline of some old players at the club. Thabo Rakhale who was very much part of the playing team this season unlike other players – was expected to leave at the end of the current season when his contract ends. So many teams have shown interest in him, so it was always going to be difficult for Chippa United to keep him.
Mbenyane’s inclusion in the list of the players leaving came as a surprise after spending almost all his professional life as a player at the club he joined while it still based in Cape Town before relocating in June 2014. He was the oldest player at Chippa after playing his hundred and eleventh (111) game in December 2019. Almost all coaches used Mbenyane but he missed most of the this season due to injury.
Meanwhile, Masalesa who signed from Black Leopards failed to make an impact.