Suspended Baroka FC head coach Dan Malesela has responded to allegations made by chairman Khurishi Mphahlele that he is talking to other clubs about Bakgaga players.
Malesela was removed from his position and has been placed on special leave by the Lebowakgomo-based Motsepe Foundation Championship side.
This happened after their 1-0 loss to University of Pretoria in the ongoing play-offs.
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"There's nothing much to say from my side because the decision to suspend me was taken by the club, so I don't know what to say," Malesela tells KickOff.com.
"I was told by the club that there was an investigation going on, something that happened before and after the AmaTuks match. But I know there's nothing like that.
"So, the issue of clubs asking about players, if it was there... clubs would always ask about players this time of the season, but they won't ask me as a coach. I don't deal with players' contracts. This is the first club [I've coached] where I don't even know when our players contracts are expiring.
"Surely, there would be [a] few players who would tell me their contracts are about to expire since it's the end of the season, but none of them have shown me their contracts," he adds.
Malesela maintains his innocence in the face of the accusations made by Baroka chairman Khurishi Mphahlele, who exclusively told this publication that the reason the coach was suspended was because of clandestine dealings with PSL clubs looking to poach their players.
"So, if the other teams asked about all that, how am I going to answer them when I have never seen their contracts with my two eyes? My focus was purely on the success of the team."
The other thing that seemed to rub Mphahlele up the wrong way was the timing of the winner by the home side, as it came in the 88th minute, just a minute after Bakgaga had substituted a midfielder (Kabelo Kgositsile) for a striker (Khomotjo Lekoloane) in search of the winner.
"As for not defending playing away against AmaTuks, the plan we had with the players was to try and get the three points. We wanted to open the play-offs with [a] full three points. What surprises me is we were scored [conceded] from a mistake of one player.
"But now fingers are being pointed at me as if I was the one who did it. But it's fine.
"People are formulating stories, and these things happen at every club.
I think it's a lack of appreciation because somebody should have first looked at where the team comes from, and where is it now.
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"When I got there, the team was number 15, and we drew one match, [and then] we were number 16. But then we went up to position three. So, people don't appreciate all those things.
"In the first phase, the team was fighting relegation, but do they appreciate it?"
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