SuperSport United head coach Gavin Hunt has explained why he will continue to field Chiefs bound defender Thatayaone Ditlhokwe for the rest of the season.
With only six months left on his contract, Ditlhokwe signed a pre-contractual agreement with Kaizer Chiefs to join Amakhosi in July 2023. While Hunt admits the 24-year-old's departure will be a loss for Matsatsantsa, he has insisted that while he will continue field the defender for the remainder of the season.
"I can give you so many examples were teams have got rid of players which have cost them. Even the last time I was here, we won the league while players were signed for other clubs. We called them in and we said listen if you don't cheat the came, respect the game and respect your contract. If you say you want to leave then we'll let you go about other than that he's been fantastic for us
"it's a big loss for us going forward but he's got nine games left and I've always said to him 'treat the game with respect and it will pay you back and it has.
"If he drops off then he won't play."
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Matsatsantsa will host Kaizer Chiefs in their penultimate game of the season on 13 May and Hunt insists if the defender is available for selection he will be on the field.
"I think so, I will definitely play him, I mean, as I said there are so many examples of teams letting players go," added Hunt.
"The team you just spoke about [Chiefs] let a player go in the middle of the season and he was taking all he free kicks, so they didn't score another one [for the rest of the season]. So many other examples. I think you need to keep players and players need to honour the game
"Six months is a long time, it's not like it's six weeks. Even if a player signs a deal somewhere else's I'll still let him train with us. If a player is going overseas, I'll let him train with us. That's what the game is about.
For now, Hunt's men are putting in the final preparations for Sunday's DStv Premiership clash against Golden Arrows.
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