SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews says want-away defender Luke Fleurs wants to leave the club because he has been offered three times of what he’s earning right now by Kaizer Chiefs.
Matthews said the Fleurs’ situation is similar to that of Sipho Mbule and Teboho Mokoena who were offered a lot of money by Mamelodi Sundowns, even though they resisted at first.
Fleurs is wanted by Chiefs, who according to Matthews, expressed an interest to them but at this stage it is not clear whether they have agreed on the deal or not.
“Players don’t want to leave SuperSport,” said Matthews in a long interview with iDiski Times.
“The ones that want to leave the club are ones like Luke Fleurs, or Tebza or Mbule. They wanted to leave because somebody else came to offer them three times the money that they are earning at SuperSport and of course they want to earn more money for themselves and their families – that’s what they got into sport for.”
As SuperSport are in Durban for a camp to prepare for the resumption of the season, iDiski Times requested an interview with the player on Friday, but the club said Fleurs is not available, with the decision having been discussed by the club’s management.
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While the matter of Fleurs has become a huge talking point, Matthews said he has offered Selaelo Rasebotja a four-year contract even though he is out for some time with cruciate ligament damage (ACL, severe knee injury) in August.
“Rasebotja signed a new four-year deal two days after the cruciate knee ligaments and he is out for 10 months and who knows how he’s going to come back,” said Matthews.
“But I’m in for four years with him. His salary is safe, he’s happy. He’s getting the best rehab, I will show you the messages from him saying, ‘I’m getting the best support from the club, I’m really thankful for everything you are doing for me’.
“The player is loyal, the player loves the club – and there’s no way a player like that is just going to easily leave SuperSport when he knows how he was looked after when he was injured.
“We see other clubs in the PSL when players are injured (they terminate their contract), we are not doing that. Instead of all the time getting bashed ‘oh, you sell to Sundowns and you do that, you do that’. But what we are doing, we are trying to be responsible.
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“I have watched Maritzburg United sell their best players year in and year out and I never, never read any newspaper ever to say ‘Maritzburg are flirting with their franchise or taking risk by selling their best players’. It is because I know Farook Kadodia how much he loves that team, and how much money personally he has lost running Maritzburg.
“But his love and passion is there and he wants to boost his club. But he has no choice but to sell those players to keep his club alive.”
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
