Maponda is caught in a transfer wrangle as both his current club, Matebele, and Gaborone United, claim the player.
On Monday, GU announced that the player had signed a pre-contract with the club via a statement.
The move was to come into effect at the expiry of the player's contract with Matebele on June 1. Matebele were, however, quick to counter GU's statement and claimed Maponda remains their player until 2026. "Matebele FC would like to reassure our stakeholders and well wishers that Thabo Maponda is our player until 2026.
Thabo Maponda extended his stay with the club this year in February sealing his fate with Kuka Ntsu. The other club is using unethical, bullying, and intimidation tactics to try and swindle our club," part of the Matebele statement reads. But GU is not budging, maintaining the player signed a pre-contract, which could result in a drawn out saga. Speaking to MmegiSport on condition of anonymity, a Matebele insider said the player extended his contract with Matebele FC on February 1 by a further two years, which means it now runs until May 31, 2026.
The source said the contract was not uploaded on the FIFA Connect system as the player still has a running deal with the club. The informer further claims that Maponda received a P45, 000 pay cheque as part of his pre-agreement with the Reds. "Maponda remains a Matebele FC employee until May 31, 2026. All the contracts signed on top of the agreement he has with Matebele are not in effect and they are of no use. He (Maponda) confirmed with us that he talked with GU and signed a pre-contract, and also he was paid P45, 000 as part of the agreement.
I should mention he is still relatively young and he made uninformed decisions. He was tempted to sign for that team looking at the huge offer on the table," the source said. This publication has been made aware that GU on the other hand is preparing to make a case in the event the matter reaches the Player Status Committee (PSC).
A source in the Reds' camp said the club would register Maponda as their new player once the window opens and the player's agreement with the club will come into effect. "There is suspicion that Matebele may have backdated the new contract with Maponda because he never mentioned an existing deal with them. GU will register the player once the window opens and is preparing evidence in case the matter gets out of hand," the source said. MmegiSport has been further informed that an extension to an existing contract can only be registered on FIFA Connect once the window is open.
A contract extension is seen as a new deal and can only come into effect once the existing agreement has ended, according to FIFA Connect rules. However, contract extensions can also be updated on the FIFA Connect system if the contract ends outside the transfer window, yet the season has not concluded. Maponda has been on GU's radar before the start of the just-ended season. Kuka Ntsu then proposed a deal that included GU's young full back Leungo Ratala moving to the Nest but Moya goleele pulled out of the negotiations.
