A nasty feud is brewing between former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Brighton Mhlongo and Marumo Gallants after the club terminated his contract this week following a career-ending medical procedure regarding his eyesight.
In documents obtained by Sowetan, Gallants notified Mhlongo following a disciplinary hearing that he no longer belonged to the club, having charged him with "misconduct" after he apparently failed to report for duty since July. The keeper's contract was supposed to run for a further year.
But the goalkeeper is not letting the matter go without a fight as he is seeking legal advice.
“I have seen the letter [of termination] and we are currently studying it with my lawyer,” Mhlongo told Sowetan. “I have been advised not to comment further.”
Mhlongo was hauled before the disciplinary committee last Friday, where he was charged for being absent from work for a period of 90 days from July 30 to October 28, according to the charge sheet seen by Sowetan.
But it is understood the player had stayed away from training on instruction from the club, with one conversation stating clearly that he was not welcome at the ground.
The 30-year-old had been, it is understood, honouring the contract by attending their training sessions despite being advised by medical doctors against doing so due to findings he would not play professional football again following the eye injury he sustained on April 7.
Sowetan has seen pictures of the ex-Bidvest Wits and Orlando Pirates at a Gallants match when they faced Royal AM on October 19 at Peter Mokaba Stadium. There are also videos of him training and attending recent CAF Confederation Cup matches at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
An insider close to the troubled club – which has made news for all wrong reasons lately – alleged the club decided to terminate Mhlongo's contract as they don’t want to pay the monies owed to him. These include huge medical bills he picked up when a ball struck his eye, leading to doctors concluding he could no longer play again.
“If you look at the medical report, it states he cannot go back to the field of play. However, the team can utilise his skills in another capacity as he's still contracted. They [Marumo] don't want that,” the source said.
“Now they are saying he didn’t pitch for training sessions. When the team played Royal AM in October, he even took pictures. How did the club allow him at the stadium then? The guy was paying all his medical bills from his own pocket and up until today, they have not reimbursed him."
Gallants spokesperson Rufus Matsena refused to comment, saying the club would release a joint statement at the right time.
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