The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
THEMBALETHU Southern Region has expelled Street Set from the league over what has been termed unprofessional conduct by the club’s director and players, a move that has been roundly condemned in football circles.
In a letter addressed to Street Set director, Lee Mangena and dated 15 August 2018, chairman Takundwa Chimundiya said the expulsion had “become necessary following an unprecedented string of events of unprofessional conduct by your club director and players”.
Street Set is accused of having used a league match to conduct “political photography and interviews”, a misdemeanours they were cautioned for, while Mangena is accused of launching a verbal tirade on social media against the executive for the sanctioning of the team after Street Set failed to fulfil a fixture against Ubuntu.
Mangena was also accused of failing to collect the verdict of an appeal case in which they were suspended for two matches and fined $60 for failing to turn up against Ubuntu.
“Mangena has found it worthwhile to launch a social media campaign for clubs to drag their feet, proposing payment plans and emergency general meetings purporting to represent a mysterious ‘we’ entity in matters that singularly affect Street Set FC,” reads part of the letter.
“The board regrets to note that you failed to heed advice extended to you and chose to poke fun at anyone who dedicated their time to help you resolve your club issues.”
Mangena told Sunday News that he felt hard done by the decision and would be appealing to a higher office to seek his reinstatement.
He said it was unprocedural for an executive to be part of the disciplinary committee and mete out such sanctions.
“According to football laws there is supposed to be an independent judicial body that sits as a disciplinary committee and to have an executive doing that task is certainly wrong. I do not understand what political photography is because I was receiving a donation of balls from Bulawayo South Member of Parliament, Raj Modi and in these difficult times how could I have refused that donation?”
Other clubs weighed in saying it was not fair for the league to punish players as well.
