AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy has urged all parties to put their emotions aside when it comes to the club’s star player Siyethemba Sithebe who has attracted interest from Kaizer Chiefs.
The club’s president Sandile Zungu has been adamant that the 29-year-old will not don the green of Usuthu for the next five months until his contract expires in June, after he was left displeased with the way Chiefs went about pursuing the player’s services.
The Usuthu supremo rejected two offers from the club as a result.
Now McCarthy, who has been left in a precarious position having to ensure that the club has the best players available while satisfying the club’s hierarchy, has weighed in on the matter.
“I was away in Scotland with my family when all this happened and when I came back, I read in the newspapers that it was said that [Siyethemba] Sithebe would never put on an AmaZulu shirt again, so you can understand from a club point of view,” McCarthy told media at the Nedbank Cup draw.
“I did have conversations with the president and with the board about us having to be on the same page because at the end of the day he is still our player and he is not gone yet. In these circumstances we have to sometimes put emotions aside but I am sure as a club we will find a way forward and a solution that works for the cub and for the player, we cant just do it on an emotional ride.”
Asked whether Sithebe would feature for his side as his contract winds down, the 44-year-old said he was hopeful of giving the player a fitting send off following the years of service he has given to the club.
“I can’t say I won’t be playing the player because he is gonna be someone else’s player because that is not how life is supposed to be, football is what it is, and we have to try and make difficult decisions.
“We want to send him off in a proper way because he has been an important player for AmaZulu for so many years, so we don’t want to part ways on a sour note, we want to give him our blessing when he leaves,” he added.
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