The committee is an ancillary body of the BFA that is tasked with presiding over disputes among local clubs relating to player transfers. On Tuesday, the players' status committee fined Ookame P10,000 for breaching a pre-contract agreement with Gaborone United.
Angels were fined P20,000. Both parties must have paid the fine in two months.
Failure to pay, the player will be suspended from all footballing activities for four months while Angels will be prevented from signing players for one window should they fail to pay the fine. Weeks after signing a pre-contract with the Reds, Ookame sealed a two-year deal with Orapa United.
“I am shocked because the Players Status Committee wrote to us following a formal complaint lodged by GU a few months ago.
We responded and told them that Ookame is our player in good standing and his transfer to Orapa United was above board.” “We were shocked to receive a verdict on the matter on Tuesday. Our position is that we could have at least been called for a hearing because we have always maintained that the transfer of Ookame to Orapa was in line with BFA Rules and Regulations,” Mpatane said.
Mpatane told MmegiSport that he intends to seek legal opinion on the matter, to launch an appeal. “We have a tight league schedule, but by Monday we would have formally responded to the Players’ Status Committee ruling,” he added. According to Mpatane, Ookame was contracted to the club until the end of the 2023-2024 season when he made his switch to Orapa.
He explained that the player renewed his contract in January this year before he signed a pre-contract with GU. Sources said Ookame signed a pre-contract with GU while on a national team camp ahead of the COSAFA Cup.
Last season, Ookame became a vital component of Mpatane’s side after replacing Monty Enosa who departed for Masitaoka. In addition, he was among the most prolific forwards in the league in the second round. He finished the season with nine goals having made his full debut at the halfway mark of the campaign in January.
