Orlando Pirates forward Monnapule Saleng returning to the club could boil down to one thing, following a similar story as revealed by former SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs defender Siboniso Gaxa.
Pirates fans have been waiting with bated breath on the rumoured return of Saleng during their CAF Champions League knockout matches, who had gone AWOL for months following a contractual dispute with the club.
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However, The Buccaneers have been carrying on their normal schedules without the 27-year-old, even up to being eliminated in the CAF Champions League semi-finals by Pyramids.
Ahead of back-to-back Soweto derbies against rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Betway Premiership on Saturday and a Nedbank Cup final a week later, there are still intrigues, on whether the former Free State Stars striker could make a surprise return.
It has been alleged in the media that the Bafana Bafana forward absconded training at Pirates due to being unsatisfied with his current salary package, which he deems too low for what he gives the Soweto giants.
Gaxa has revealed that he was in the same situation, where he joined SuperSport on a low salary of R1500 after he was signed as an unknown but after one season, he started to make demands and also went AWOL after Matsatsantsa did not live up to their promises.
"The season of 2003/04, I demanded more money. They were delaying and stuff, then I packed my clothes and left. They promised me if I play more...but I started to see these are delaying tactics," Gaxa said in an interview on Apex Sports International YouTube Channel.
"I was hiding at my cousin's sister house in the South. They (SuperSport) had to look for me, they found me and called me to the office. I told them 'I'm not going to play for this much' and they said, 'Oh, how much do you want?'
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"I kid you not, within two years I had three different contracts. Remember I was getting R1500, from there I moved to like R9000 and within six months that R9000 was R18 000. It changed, only because I was demanding. They started paying me well and the treatment (also improve), there was a point where I was also a captain," the former Bafana Bafana defender added.
From a professional player's perspective, it appears Saleng could only be persuaded to play again for The Ghosts if he gets substantial increments to his salary package, as alleged, failure of which could necessitate a big legal battle in the off-season, as the 27-year-old has not featured since early December last year, most of which in seeming defiance to the club's code of conduct.
