In the latest edition of Negotiating Behind The Scenes, former striker Thembinkosi Biyela reveals how his father made him choose Kaizer Chiefs over their old foes Orlando Pirates.
Biyela also reveals how much Amakhosi paid him in terms of a monthly salary.
Who I signed for?
"I still remember how Kaizer Motaung and my father agreed to a deal behind my back. It was somewhere around the 1996/97 season."
How did you find out?
"I knew that SuperSport United, Orlando Pirates, and Kaizer Chiefs were interested in my services. I was a Moroka Swallows player by then, unaware that my father had finished negotiating with the likes of Stan Tshabalala, and was pushing me in the Kaizer Chiefs direction [laughs].
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"My father was a Swallows fan. Apparently, he played with Kaizer Motaung in the amateur level, so they knew each other.
"The thing is the day I was supposed to negotiate with Pirates, Irvin Khoza was outside the country."
Where did you meet?
"I met with Chiefs at the Johannesburg Stadium offices."
Who was there?
"It was Bra K and some Indian guys who were lawyers, and they had already paid Swallows for my services. David Chabeli [Swallows chairman] told me to go to Chiefs to meet Bra K.
"In that meeting, Bra K told me how I've been doing well at Swallows, and that he wanted me to help Chiefs to win cups.
"It was my first time getting a signing-on fee, and it was R150 000."
What surprised you?
"The signing-on fee. I was not expecting to get R150 000 in cash. I was excited, unaware that the money was still going to be taxed, and had to be paid out through a lawyer.
"I was disappointed with the salary though. At Swallows, we used to get R4 500, and at Chiefs I was offered R20 000, not knowing that it was still going to be reduced by deductions. Come payday, R7 000 is missing. I was now left with R13 000."
Did you get what you wanted?
"Yes, I can say so because I got everything that we agreed on."
Did you see the contract?
"No. I signed for two years, the following season after winning the Rothmans Cup I was loaned to Dynamos. When I came back, I found that they had brought in too many players."
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What you would change?
"I'd ask for a R1 million signing-on fee. That was the only way of making money back then."