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OVERPRICED?: Orlando Pirates striker Tokelo Rantie Photo: Charle Lombard/Gallo Images

 For Khoza to allow such a young talent to go and opt for a player that turns 30 next month, boggles the mind. 

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• Bucs haggle over R2m fee for Rantie

The new campaign officially kicks off tomorrow night with an MTN Top 8 match-up between defending champions Orlando Pirates and Bloemfontein Celtic at Orlando Stadium.

The encounter will see the Buccaneers begin life without trusty striker Tokelo Rantie, who has returned to Sweden.

Reason, Pirates could not "afford" a R2-million asking price from Swedish lower division side IFK Hassleholm, a team which the young forward was loaned from last season.

Hassleholm were ready to grant Rantie a permanent move to Mayfair but Bucs were apparently put off by the asking price.

They chose to let the player who contributed to Pirates winning the championship last season go and opted for Takesure Chinyama, a little-known Zimbabwean striker.

But it is strange that all of a sudden Pirates had more than R1-million - or is that close to R2-million? - to sign Chinyama.

Chinyama, we are told, will pocket a staggering R100000 monthly salary.

So didn't Pirates have some few hundred thousand rands left in their kitty to add to what they spent on Chinyama to match what Hassleholm were asking?

Pirates are also said to be close to signing Nigerian striker Yero Bello.

How I wish I knew how much they will spend to capture Bello if he passes trials?

So where is the money suddenly coming from at Pirates?

This is the question The Ghost are probably asking themselves.

Though from where I'm sitting, I can't say with conviction that a team as big as and well-sponsored as Pirates doesn't have R2-million in the bank, but I can argue that they have.

If they said they don't, I would ask what happened to the millions they made in prize money last season.

They swelled their coffers by R10-million by winning the league title alone - the second in two years.

They also added a whopping R12-million for winning the MTN8 (R8-million) and Telkom Knockout (R4-million), respectively.

Though I can't tell Irvin Khoza how to run his club, I was convinced the Iron Duke would break the bank for Rantie, for the sake of continuity at the club.

At 21, Rantie is an investment not only for Pirates, but the country.

For Khoza to allow such a young talent to go and opt for a player that turns 30 next month, boggles the mind.

I'm hoping that Rantie gets enough game-time wherever he ends up because warming the bench will be detrimental to his chances to continue playing for Bafana Bafana.

I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate our swimmers Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh for winning gold medals at the ongoing London Olympic Games.

We hope Team SA will continue to do us proud in their quest for medals over there.

Sowetan also wishes the rest of our athletes in London the best of luck as they go into the second week of the greatest sports show on earth. They should draw inspiration from Le Clos and Van der Burg.

South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee president Gideon Sam has targeted 12 medals at the London Games and by the look of things the target looks all the more achievable.

Let's continue to offer our athletes unwavering support in London.

Comments

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Thu May 23 05:07:29 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 2, 2012

Stumaeza

It's clear that Khoza doesn't want this boy anymore.
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Aug 2, 2012

Nkasegobotsesephirise

Yep
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Aug 2, 2012

Bizzabo

Hey wena @Nchabeleng, you dont know what you are talking about. This boy was bought for about 10 mill and the duke was not prepared to pay that much!

compare 10 million to 1or 2 mill???

but yes it is a loss to South African football

up the bucs anyways!
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Aug 2, 2012

Marquez

We made this guy and now they wanna cash in on our hardwork? Pathetic. We will make other hot properties.
I loved this guy though he was such a marvel to watch.
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Aug 2, 2012

CYBORICO

Reason, Pirates could not "afford" a R2-million asking price from Swedish lower division side IFK Hassleholm, a team which the young forward was loaned from last season

Jesu!! listen to this zebra fan, we didnot want to pay 2m for rantjie not that we cannot afford it, anyway Njenje doesnot need the dude so why buy him when he will be benched, we have very good your forwards that were never used correctly by previouse coaches and then we add another? we have Ndulula and mabena ,very capable forwards, then we have 4 experianced guys, now tell me do u waste R2M and buy what u already have, Ranjie and Mabena are the same in how they play and Mabena is for free.
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Aug 2, 2012

Rayzermesse

I don't think you should be that naive. Negotiations between player and club are sometimes held in secret and it is best that way. I agree that Pirates has the R2million, but for you to notice this surely it should spark that perhaps there something in the negotiations that the two parties will not say in public. The are many possibilities of why the deal was not done.
1 Maybe Rantie definately wanted to leave Pirates judging from the interviews he had last season
2 Maybe the deal had other issues attached to it
3 Maybe Dr Irvin does this at the interest of the club, he has made so many interesting decisions and has brought the results so leave him be.

It is so easy to judge from the outside. I believe in the Iron Duke
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Aug 2, 2012

KingMay

Sowetan....please please please! This nonsense writting has got to stop.

First of all it does not make sense that Pirates would not afford R2m for a 21 year old player. Stop misleading people, infact another news house also reported the same thing.

Rather investigate your stories and you will notice that Rantie's club was not willing to sell him but loan him, and the asking price for a loan season more than tripled the R2m figure you are misleading the public with.
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Aug 2, 2012

Mygirl

Pirates can afford Rantie, something really was behind the negotiations but
soon we will know. Mabhakaniya lets give our President a support on this one.
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Aug 2, 2012

Mhungumbye

We are the one who put this boy on the map, so why we should be milked?
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Aug 2, 2012

Gusheshe

@Cyborico

U dnt kno wat u talking abt wena man just shut up. Ranjie whos that? U cant compare Tokelo to Mabena man the latter can be good for a small club like Swallows or Wits were there is no much preasure. Im not a Rats fan im just stating facts looking through the window.
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