Monnapule Saleng’s agent clears the air: Orlando Pirates weren’t at fault
Sorry: Monnapule Saleng’s agent clarifies that there were no contractual issues with Orlando Pirates, attributing his absence and mental health struggles to a challenging season, despite speculation about a failed transfer to Al Ahly. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Following Monnapule Saleng’s move to Orbit College from Orlando Pirates, the young striker never really spoke about the drawn-out saga he endured while at the Buccaneers.
The closest the public got to any real insight was the SuperSport documentary Giants, in which there is a short dressing room clip where Saleng reveals his mental state.
In a typical locker room speech given by then-coach Jose Riveiro, he turns to Saleng and asks: Are you okay? Saleng then responds: “No, I’m not okay.”
The documentary, though, aired after the 27-year-old Saleng left the club, and his absence from the side for months while physically fit led to rampant speculation. There were even reports of a salary dispute and of a failed transfer to Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
Saleng’s Agent Clarifies No Contractual Issues with Orlando Pirates
Now, Saleng’s agent Karabo Tshabuse, of P-Management Sport, said there was no bad blood between the two parties.
“We see Monnapule Saleng saying ‘I’m not okay’ on that Giants [Pirates] documentary show. That is already an answer in itself that it was a season where mental fitness did not match physical fitness," Tshabuse said on Behind the Boot podcast.
"What I like is that from the Giants show or the Pirates show, Saleng is live, saying I am not okay, and granted, people are only getting it after the speculation about where he is and whether he really wants to be there," she added.
“There was no contractual issue with Saleng and Orlando Pirates. Orlando Pirates and Saleng brokered a very good deal, and a deal that helped Saleng achieve a multitude of things, including buying property.”
Monnapule Saleng’s Orlando Pirates Exit and Mental Fitness Journey
When Saleng finally left Pirates in July, it marked over six months since he had last played for the club.
“Orlando Pirates can never be faulted on that score. It can also not be faulted for what the player went through. So, the Al Ahly deal is nothing further than the truth. At that stage, Monnapule Saleng was not looking to leave. He was at Orlando Pirates, invested in the team, but just going through something.”
Before that, with no official word on the player from Pirates, the speculation had been rife about the future of Saleng even though he was still under contract until June next year.
“He has an Orlando Pirates badge tattoo. For him, he arrived at his dream when he played for Orlando Pirates," Tshabuse said.
“He needed the audience to just hold the line for him, and unfortunately, as much as social media can be powerful to build, it can be powerful to exacerbate and break a situation.
"So, we find ourselves now having to explain a season where people were just ruthless. I then decided I’m not going to comment because I can’t say my client needs the mental fitness to be where his physical fitness is.”