Free State Stars assistant coach, Themba Sithole, confirmed to the Siya crew that Themba Shabalala is staying with the club.
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Shabalala has been linked with a move away from the Bethlehem outfit, having attracted interest from other PSL clubs.
Having been alerted of the interest in the defender, Ea Lla Koto exercised their one-year option on the player's contract to keep him in the team for the 2015/16 season.
"Themba is not going anywhere. The club has been nursing his muscle injury. He got injured towards the end of last season. He played the last two games of the season with an injury.
"He's got a contract with Free State Stars. I'm sure he's going to retire here. You know, players like (Paulus) Masehe, Danny Venter and Themba Shabalala are the boys that have to focus on their careers and nothing else. Moving from one club to another each and every season won't help anybody.
"We are happy with the way Shabalala has been working. We are happy with his commitment, discipline and everything. He is not one of those players that you can think of releasing at any given time. He is a player that we would like to keep for a long time," said Sithole.
Read: Dikwena, Tuks Eyeing Shabalala
The Tembisa-born player made 16 league starts for Stars last season, despite being disrupted by injury during the course of the campaign.
