Soccer
Celtic warns players to beware─── 10:26 Tue, 14 Jul 2015
Bloemfontein Celtic has warned all current and aspiring players to be aware of the Phantom Agent who has made his return.
The con man who claims to represent Premier Soccer League clubs has claimed another victim in the form of out-of-favour SuperSport United midfielder Benett Chenene.
Chenene, who was recently sent to train with the SuperSport United reserve team ahead of a likely exit from the club, was contacted by a man claiming to be Bloemfontein Celtic chairman Max Tshabalala and invited for trials.
The player called the club to speak to Tshabalala and confirm the details of his trial…but the real Tshabalala had to awkwardly inform him that no such offer was actually made.
The chairman says it's up to his technical staff to invite players to trials and that he would never do it personally.
"I do not invite players to trials, that is the role of the technical team and management. It is disturbing that a person would come up with a scheme to create false hope and fabricate lies instead of using that energy to make a positive contribution to the game and the society.
On behalf of the club, Tshabalala urged the phantom agent to stop wasting people's time.
We appeal to this dishonest person or people to stop with their scheme and to stop wasting people’s time. We trust that the law will catch up with these criminals and we apologise to those that have been inconvenienced or conned”
Last year former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Benedict Vilakazi fell victim to the same conman, with Vilakazi flying all the way to Celtic to sign a contract, only to be given the bad news.
Morgan Piek / OFM News
