CT Spurs outraged as Velebayi ruling clears path to Chiefs

In a strongly worded statement on Monday night, Cape Town Spurs criticised the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) for ruling that winger Asanele Velebayi is a free agent. The club called the decision a “legal and logical catastrophe” that could be a fatal blow to youth football development.

The ruling, which frees Velebayi to potentially sign with Kaizer Chiefs, was based on clause 43.1.7 of the PSL handbook. However, Spurs argue that the decision undermines the entire academy system, which relies on a player’s first professional contract to protect a club’s significant financial investment.

Spurs, who have invested in youth development for over 30 years, claim the cost to develop a single player who has been in their academy for 10 years is at least R8 million. They explain that the compensation fees a club receives when a player signs their first professional contract cover less than 5% of this cost. The club’s business model, therefore, depends on the player’s first contract to eventually generate a transfer fee that can be reinvested into the academy.

The club’s statement says the ruling “rips that model to shreds.”

Spurs CEO Alexi Efstathiou expressed concern that young players are being “misled or unduly influenced,” and the club’s statement pointed to “insidious influence of ‘tapping up’,” where contracted players are illegally approached by other clubs. The club noted that some players’ letters admitted to “secured employment” elsewhere before their contracts were terminated—a “flagrant violation of football regulations.”

Spurs argues the DRC award rewards this behaviour, giving agents and rival clubs a “green light” to poach players from teams facing relegation.

Efstathiou stated the club will explore the possibility of arbitration and appeal after consulting with its legal team. This decision may depend on the outcomes of similar cases involving other Spurs academy players, including Luke Baartman (verbally agreed to join Chiefs) and Liam Bern (to AmaZulu FC), which are expected this week.

The club concluded by stating that South African football development is the ultimate loser and that unless the “disastrous award” is overturned, it will stand as a “tombstone” for the nation’s academies.