Chippa United have responded to Welcome Qalanto’s claims that he was wasting his time training with the club, while there was no word forthcoming from them.

It was almost a foregone conclusion that the lanky striker, who also played for Maritzburg United, would next be playing his football at the Chilli Boys, after things did not go his way at Golden Arrows. Qalanto signed a long-term deal with the Durban side at the beginning of the season, but only made two league starts and was released late last year.

Since then he had been training with Chippa, but now looks on the verge of signing for their archrivals Milano United, having told the Siya crew, "I just stopped training because they know what kind of a player I am and for me to just train and hear nothing from them... they were wasting my time!"

Chippa’s General Manager, Wanda Mbenguzana, responded, “If you remember, we were the ones who took him from Arrows and let him train with us. But after the December break, he never came back to the club. We moved on and then he got a chance elsewhere.

"I don’t want to say much about what he said because he’s my friend, but you can’t force someone what choices to make. He knows that the door is open here at Chippa for hm.”