Bafana Bafana midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo has rejected the chance to move to English Championship Brentford, though it is unlikely he would have received a work permit for the United Kingdom anyway.
Brentford held talks with Mokotjo's cash-strapped Dutch Eredivisie side FC Twente at the start of the month over the move, but Mokotjo is thought to be unwilling to drop into second-tier football.
According to reports in the Netherlands, he has told Twente he is not interested in the Brentford move and is happy to stay at his Dutch club, though that could yet be out of his hands.
The club is likely to sell a number of their top stars as they try to cut into their crippling R815-million debt and reduce their wage bill.
Their financial problems saw them docked six points by the league last season, and they face more sanctions if they cannot improve the situation quickly.
Mokotjo, who had an excellent first season at the club after a move from PEC Zwolle, is among the leading lights at the side and one of their most valuable assets.
The natural next step for him now is a move to one of the top- five European leagues, but England looks off the cards for the moment as he does not meet the requirements for a work permit.
To do so he would have played the majority of South Africa's competitive internationals in the past two years, but with just a single appearance in that time, he does not come close to meeting those requirements.
It seems unlikely that he will improve that record either while Shakes Mashaba is still coach, with the latter clearly no fan of the outspoken midfielder.
He could still appeal to the UK authorities on the basis that he is "a player of the highest calibre" or that he is a player that is "able to contribute significantly to the development of the game at the top level in the UK".
Both of those would be subjective to arguments and difficult to prove.
Mokotjo snubs move to English second-tier club
Bafana Bafana midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo has rejected the chance to move to English Championship Brentford, though it is unlikely he would have received a work permit for the United Kingdom anyway.
Brentford held talks with Mokotjo's cash-strapped Dutch Eredivisie side FC Twente at the start of the month over the move, but Mokotjo is thought to be unwilling to drop into second-tier football.
According to reports in the Netherlands, he has told Twente he is not interested in the Brentford move and is happy to stay at his Dutch club, though that could yet be out of his hands.
The club is likely to sell a number of their top stars as they try to cut into their crippling R815-million debt and reduce their wage bill.
Their financial problems saw them docked six points by the league last season, and they face more sanctions if they cannot improve the situation quickly.
Mokotjo, who had an excellent first season at the club after a move from PEC Zwolle, is among the leading lights at the side and one of their most valuable assets.
The natural next step for him now is a move to one of the top- five European leagues, but England looks off the cards for the moment as he does not meet the requirements for a work permit.
To do so he would have played the majority of South Africa's competitive internationals in the past two years, but with just a single appearance in that time, he does not come close to meeting those requirements.
It seems unlikely that he will improve that record either while Shakes Mashaba is still coach, with the latter clearly no fan of the outspoken midfielder.
He could still appeal to the UK authorities on the basis that he is "a player of the highest calibre" or that he is a player that is "able to contribute significantly to the development of the game at the top level in the UK".
Both of those would be subjective to arguments and difficult to prove.
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