Cape Town Spurs vow to fight ‘Catastrophic’ PSL ruling as Chiefs target Velebayi

Cape Town Spurs have come out swinging after the PSL Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) declared winger Asanele Velebayi a free agent, clearing the path for his anticipated move to Kaizer Chiefs.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday evening, the relegated Urban Warriors labelled the ruling a “legal and logical catastrophe” and warned it could devastate youth development in South African football.

The dispute began when Velebayi, alongside Luke Baartman and Liam Bern, sought early exits following Spurs’ drop to the ABC Motsepe League. Their legal team argued that under NSL rules, relegation to amateur status automatically voids professional contracts.

The DRC panel — Mosupi Mashele, Amanda Vilakazi, and advocate Saleem Seedat — sided with Velebayi, finding that the contract Spurs relied on no longer held professional status and was therefore void.  This paves the way for the 19-year-old to join Chiefs, while Amakhosi are also monitoring Baartman. Bern is understood to be heading to AmaZulu FC.

But Spurs believe the panel’s reasoning was contradictory. They claim the DRC initially agreed with a prior ruling that relegation does not automatically make players free agents, only to reverse that view just paragraphs later. 

The club’s statement accuses the panel of a “gross, reviewable error” and warns it creates crippling uncertainty for development clubs nationwide.

Central to their case is the principle of pacta sunt servanda — a contract is a contract. Spurs insist the players’ deals specifically stated they were “not terminable on notice,” and therefore should be enforceable regardless of league status.

Beyond legal arguments, Spurs say the economic blow is just as severe. Renowned for their academy system, the club claims that nurturing one player over a decade costs at least R8 million, a figure verified by auditors. 

Long-term contracts, they argue, are essential to protect that investment, either by retaining the player or securing a transfer fee to reinvest in new talent.

“This ruling rips that model to shreds,” the statement read, warning that clubs across the country may now see their development efforts undermined. 

Spurs also said the contracts of their remaining 15 players are now in jeopardy, with the decision inviting potential “tapping up” from rival clubs.

CEO Alexi Efstathiou suggested that the young players had been “misled or unduly influenced,” though he stressed the club was not directly accusing any specific team. 

“We know what the player is valued at. He has a contract with our club, and that needs to be respected, no matter the club,” he said.

Adding to Spurs’ frustration is the delay in Baartman’s case. While Velebayi’s hearing concluded on July 4, Baartman’s July 21 session has yet to yield a verdict, a delay Spurs believe fuels suspicion over consistency in the dispute process.

With arbitration or appeal now firmly on the table, Efstathiou made it clear the Urban Warriors are not backing down. 

“We will ascertain after consulting with the legal team the possibility of arbitration and appeal,” he said, adding that their next move will depend on the outcomes of the still-pending Baartman and Bern rulings.