Photo Courtesy Sundowns Media.
Orlando Pirates have come out to vehemently dismiss claims that they have received offers for their key players Monnapule Saleng and Patrick Maswanganyi.
According to the South African giants, no club or clubs have reached out for the services of the two players and that the transfer news being circulated on social media over the same was entirely entirely unacceptable.
On Saleng, the club said: “Orlando Pirates Football Club categorically denies ever receiving any offer from a Middle Eastern club for the services of Monnapule Saleng.
“On 13 January 2025, Kickoff.co.za published an article titled, The Gulf Region team was serious about Saleng, a story claiming that an agent, Rui Frois, met with a “high-ranking” Pirates official to discuss Saleng’s availability. Let it be clear:
“The Club does not conduct its business in malls.No official from Orlando Pirates Football Club has spoken to Mr. Rui Frois regarding this matter.”’
Meanwhile, in regards to Maswanganyim, Pirates wrote: “On 20 January 2025, Briefly News Sports published an article titled, Portuguese Club Eyes Bid for R40 Million-Rated Orlando Pirates Star. Once again, the Club categorically rejects this as sheer gossip. No such offer has been presented to the Club.
“It is deeply troubling that these baseless stories are not only misleading but also serve to disrupt the focus of our players and destabilise the team. This is entirely unacceptable.”
The statement further continued: “As Orlando Pirates, we have noted with great concern a growing trend of misinformation circulating on social media and in certain media outlets regarding alleged offers for some of our players.
“Ordinarily, the club refrains from engaging with baseless rumours aimed at creating unnecessary sensationalism and clickbait. However, the persistence and escalation of these unsubstantiated claims now compel us to set the record straight.
“The misinformation began with a fabricated story regarding Saleng, alleging that the club had denied the player a lucrative transfer opportunity to a team in the Middle East. Initially, we chose to disregard this as, yet another false narrative meant to explain the player’s temporary absence from the playing squad. Unfortunately, the story has since gained unwarranted traction, even being picked up by some mainstream media outlets.”
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