Cape Town City coach Eric Tinkler has explained the “hard decision” why the club released midfielder Mpho Makola.
The 36-year-old joined the club in 2019 and has been a permanent feature over the years in City’s side but was released in January to the surprise of many in the football fraternity.
Tinkler now explained that there wasn’t a fallout between the club and player, but they had to cut down on the squad after failing to reach the CAF Champions League group stages, with chairman John Comitis even paying out the attacking midfielder.
“Beginning of the season, we looked to bolster the squad for the CAF competition and our vision was that we would be where Sundowns is, still in the competition [in the group stages],” he said, when asked by iDiski Times about Makola.
“But now, we have fallen out of that competition and we currently have 10 midfielders for three positions – it’s more than three players for one position.
“We just made Mpho aware that we need to be looking to the future. I need to be giving youngsters, Balla [Taahir Goedeman], I need to be giving Jaedin [Rhodes], I need to be giving [Relebogile] Mokhuoane an opportunity of playing more.
“So for him to be given game-time, it’s going to be difficult, very difficult. So we don’t want to be wasting his time, give him the opportunity to be going somewhere where he can play.
“He got his full payout until the end of the season by the chairman, he didn’t leave with empty pockets. He left with his full payout.
“And if he was going to find a club, which was during the window period, then he finds a club.
“We have to make, those are hard decisions. But what you don’t want to create is where you’ve got a lot of players being very unhappy because they’re not getting game-time.
“Like I said 10 for three positions is just too many.”
Makola joined City from Orlando Pirates in 2019 and made 94 appearances for the club, with nine of those coming in 2022/23.
