Dolly buyout bribe claim
PATRICE Motsepe has revealed that the Mamelodi Sundowns board raised suspicions over the way midfielder Keagan Dolly’s buyout clause was reduced from £1.5-million (R25-million) to £733 000 (R10.5-million).
Motsepe said on Monday the board suspected that one of their own had accepted a bribe to lower the buyout clause.
“The first thing that arose on the Dolly issue was that some of the board members were saying‚ ‘No‚ the people who changed it‚ halved it‚ were given money’‚” Motsepe said.
He refused to mention whether the person responsible was still in the employ of Sundowns‚ but said he was convinced that it was a “genuine error” and that the matter was now water under the bridge.
Motsepe said he was willing to shoulder responsibility as the controversy happened under his watch as club boss.
“Who’s the most senior person at Sundowns? Patrice Motsepe.
“Whether I know or don’t know‚ it happened under my watch and that’s why I have to account and explain as best as I can.”
Sundowns were previously caught in a similar situation when it was claimed that some club officials forged former player Jose Torrealba’s signature on a contract about a decade ago.
Torrealba won the case against Sundowns in October 2007 and as a result‚ then executive director Afzal Khan, was relieved of his duties.
Khan insisted that he did not forge Torrealba’s signature.
Motsepe admitted that more needed to be done at his club to avoid confusion over contracts in future.
“There will now be processes in place where three people would be required to do that.
“If one person misses it‚ the second one would pick it up.”