Arbitration rules against Spurs, clears Chiefs’ signings of Velebayi and Baartman

Asanele Velebayi and Luke Baartman are free agents and their signings by Kaizer Chiefs can proceed, an arbitration has ruled.

The pair had been a subject of a dispute from Cape Town Spurs, who argued 22-year-old winger Velebayi and 19-year-old forward Baartman were still under contract by the club. Spurs were relegated from the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) to the third tier ABC Motsepe League at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Chiefs announced they had signed the pair as free agents in August.

Arbitrator Hilton Epstein SC ruled on Tuesday Velebayi and Baartman are free agents and directed Spurs to “furnish clearance certificates to both”. No order of costs was made.

In his finding Epstein noted Baartman’s contract with Spurs was entered into for the period “July 1 2024 to August 1 2026”. Velebayi’s was signed for the period “1 July 2023 to 30 June 2026”.

However, Epstein stressed the contracts stipulated both players had signed to “play only professional football”.

The arbitrator concluded, by South African Football Association regulation definitions, the ABC Motsepe League is amateur, not professional, so the players’ contracts became nulled.

He found “no merit in the argument of the appellant that all players, both professional and amateur can play in the Motsepe League”.

Epstein found “on a proper interpretation of the contracts, the respondents signed up to play professional football and cannot be compelled to play as amateurs in the amateur Motsepe League”. This made the contracts “impossible of performance”.