Mfolo recently wrote a letter to Matebele ordering the club to release Maponda to Gaborone United (GU). The striker signed a contract extension with Matebele FC in February this year, which runs until May 2026. He then signed a pre-contract with GU in May before signing on the dotted lines for three years with the Reds in July. GU gave Maponda a signing-on fee of P50, 000. The player also received a salary from GU and participated in some friendly matches before returning to Matebele, which has sparked a dispute between the two sides. There was an element of disapproval when Mfolo wrote to Matebele.
The sentiment from many stakeholders was that the matter could have been referred to the Players’ Status Committee as per the norm. The BFA has even been accused of siding with GU in the Maponda saga, something which Mfolo has denied. “We are not interfering. Not all issues go through the status committee. We are trying to advise the player administratively and protect his career. He was not honest in his dealings and if the issue was to go to the Players’ Status Committee, he would probably get a ban, which would affect his career,” Mfolo told MmegiSport yesterday. Mfolo also explained why the BFA has instructed Maponda to report to GU within 24 hours from the date of the associations' correspondence to the player to facilitate his registration with the team, despite the fact he signed an extension with Matebele before signing with GU. "According to the rules, the last contract that the player signs is the one that is binding, so the player must go back to GU.
He did medicals, received a signing-on fee, and participated in a friendly game for GU against Supersport. He was very dishonest in his dealings,” Mfolo said. However, Matebele disputes this version as they believe the player is still legally theirs. Both Matebele and Maponda have not honoured the BFA’s request. This is not the first time that GU has been involved in a dispute with a rival over the transfer of players. In October last year, GU wrote to the Players’ Status Committee complaining that Eleven Angels were denying them an opportunity to register forward Eric Ookame. GU said they had a pre-contract agreement with Ookame, while Angels argued that they had a binding contract with the player. It appeared Ookame signed a pre-contract with GU when he had a running contract with Angels. Ookame was fined P10, 000 for breaching a pre-contract agreement with GU. Ookame later signed for Orapa United.
