Cape Town Spurs CEO Alexi Efstathiou has set out his expectations regarding the compensation Kaizer Chiefs should provide for Luke Baartman and Asanele Velebayi.
Ahead of the much-anticipated ruling, Efstathiou has emphasised the significant costs involved in producing professional players.
KAIZER CHIEFS DUO ASANELE VELEBAYI AND LUKE BAARTMAN TO LEARN FATE
How did it all start? The dispute began after Spurs were relegated from the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) to amateur status.
Chiefs then signed Velebayi and Baartman as free agents, but Spurs challenged the move, claiming the players were still under contract.
The Premier Soccer League’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) ruled that the agreements were null and void because Spurs no longer held professional status.
Unwilling to accept the DRC’s ruling, Spurs escalated the matter to SAFA arbitration, seeking compensation for the development costs of their young talents.
With advocate Hilton Epstein expected to make his ruling this week, Spurs’ Efstathiou has shared his thoughts.
“We expect the award to be fair to everyone involved,” he said to Kick Off. “It takes significant investment to develop players, around R8 million per player if they have been with us since the age of 12.
“Consider how much money is needed to develop a single professional player, and we must factor in those costs as well. We account for everything, including the water we use on the field.
“Do you think the Cape Town City Council provides us with water for free? No. So, we will wait and see what happens,” Efstathiou added.
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