Boy Madingwane's lawyer, Kabelo Mashego, has responded to Baroka FC chairman Khurishi Mphahlele's statement regarding his client.
Due to his ongoing dispute with Baroka, Madingwane might not make his Betway Premiership debut anytime soon.
Under the belief that his contract with the second-tier side had expired, the versatile player joined the Gqeberha outfit in July.
During his time at Baroka, Boy was contractually bound for five months with an option to extend. According to the player and Chippa United, Baroka never exercised their option, never sent him an option letter, and on July 1, he became free to sign with any club, Mashego tells KickOff exclusively.
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After Chippa made it public that they had signed the boy, Baroka came forward claiming they had exercised the option, and they produced an option letter stating the player had signed.
We filed an urgent application with the League for the player to be declared a free agent and for them to deal with the issues relating to this option, but they believed that the matter needed to be handled in a courtroom of their own. It can't be resolved urgently because it needs to be based on facts.
Several weeks ago, we sent an email to Baroka requesting the original of that letter so that it could be authenticated.
They said they also filed the letter with the League, indicating that they exercised the option. Therefore, whether the one sent to the League was original or not, we do not know.
"I'm not saying that's what happened. But if someone forged the document, your signature will clarify it all," he explained.
Mashego reports that Baroka has not responded to their request for the letter, adding that its location seems unclear.
It is unclear where the original is... Maybe it is with the league, maybe it is with their advocate. That is what they told us.
My instructions are to go to the League and ask for an uplift. That's where we are. Baroka refused to issue the clearance.
"The player refuses to return to Baroka, saying he has not signed the document, and he has not been informed that they are exercising the option. So, he is staying with Chippa until the issue is resolved at the DRC."
The player has been sent letters asking him to return to work. But that would be admitting he exercised his right. The issue is that the player cannot file his claim until he is able to authenticate that document.
When the document is finally found, it will be examined by a handwriting expert.
According to the handwriting expert, if the chairman's signature and the player's signature are originals, the player is lying.
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If the handwriting expert says the player's signature was forged, then we won't even have to go to the DRC.
The sooner the club sends us the original, the sooner we can resolve this. But they haven't responded."
As his one-year option has been exercised, Mphahlele believes the player belongs to Bakgaga.
Madingwane's camp took us to the DRC under an urgent complaint, but the DRC rejected it, saying there was no urgency in the matter since the boy had a contract.
"It's wrong to say a boy must clear Baroka FC when he already has a contract. Therefore, the urgency matter was thrown out of the window, and Chippa are in a pickle."
We don't want to talk to them, they don't want to make an offer, they remain silent.
This won't work with us. We are a professional team, not amateurs. They must come to the table," Mphahlele asserts.
In 2019, Mduduzi Mdantsane left Baroka for Cape Town City and took the Lebowakgomo-based club to the PSL DRC to have his cessation ratified.
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Until the matter was resolved, Mdantsane wasn't issued a player's card.
As a result of the case, Mdantsane was only able to make his City debut in January 2020.
