The SA Football Players' Union (Safpu) has urged local clubs to treat players courteously.

The call comes in the wake of AmaZulu's initial refusal to pay Namibian footballer Phineas Nambandi after terminating his contract in 2014.

Polokwane City may also be in trouble after terminating the contract of Senegalese striker Faye Baptiste in 2016 and despite Fifa ordering last year that they pay him about R1m, they haven't done so.

Safpu secretary-general Nhlanhla Shabalala said some local clubs don't adhere to Fifa's rules and it's high time they change their attitudes.

"You cannot just come and impose a decision on a player and say, 'you have underperformed, we are terminating your contract, take your clearance and go back to your country'," Shabalala said.

" Such a practice perpetuates poverty and tomorrow we are going to say 'these players enjoy their money and today they are poor'. "The signing-on-fees must be paid on time and the basic working conditions must be adhered to as per the labour relations act".