It never ceases to amaze how season in and season out we always hear stories of players and clubs haggling over contracts. It is the kind of article many of us could actually have a template for and simply change the names of players and clubs.
And it always happens around this time, with many a player’s contract generally lapsing at the end of June.
Last season it was Kaizer Chiefs and Itumeleng Khune who kept us guessing regarding their relationship, the goalkeeper holding out from signing a new contract as he hassled for a bigger pay cheque.
This time around the big story is that of Mamelodi Sundowns’ captain Ramahlwe Mphahlele whose future at the club is yet to be confirmed with his contract ending next week.
There can be no denying Mphahlele has served the Brazilians well and this much coach Pitso Mosimane confirmed in yesterday’s paper, Jingles proclaiming his liking for the lad from my home village.
Yet with contract issues not a matter for coaches, Mosimane’s influence on what becomes of Rama’s future at the Brazilians is pretty minuscule. That is the forté of the club administrators and the often greedy and self-centred agents.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for players being paid their worth.
And having worked his socks off for Sundowns over the years it is only fair that Mphahlele holds out for what he believe he should be paid. But what I don’t get is why it has to take so long for the deals to be made.
Granted there is a period in which new contracts can be negotiated before the old ones. Yet surely if you value a player enough you can swiftly let them know you'd like them to stay on and make your offer.
On the flip side, a player who is also keen to remain at a team, as my homeboy is said to be, should be honest and let his employers know what it is that would make him stay.
But with a lot of money seemingly floating around players and their agents often push their luck.And the trend in recent years has been for some to even use the media as a bargaining tool by going to the extent of using other clubs' names.
Apparently one of the snags to Ramahlwe recommitting himself to Sundowns is that Chiefs are willing to break the bank for his services.The truth or lack thereof is somewhere out there.
And of course with football being such an unpredictable career, players will almost always chase after the big cheque.
But they would also do well to consider whether they are fit to the big paying suitor.I can think of so many promising careers that went to waste because they chased the cash. And the sad thing is that a lot of them had their decision made for them by their agents.
Mphahlele has always struck me as a lad with a good head on his shoulders and I suspect whatever decision he makes will be a sensible one with his future and nothing else in mind. Yet surely this kind of last minute haggling can be avoided if all parties make known their intentions on the relationship way earlier towards the end of existing contracts.
The Star