Pirates Address Transfer Speculation Involving Saleng and Patrick Maswanganyi
Orlando Pirates has declared that there have been no offers made for their key player Monnapule Saleng, who has been missing from the Soweto Giants for undisclosed reasons.
Speculation has emerged that a club from the Middle East showed interest in Saleng, particularly after a video circulated showing him looking displeased during a recent home game for Pirates. Fans speculated that he might be restricted from departing the club.
Nonetheless, Orlando Pirates stated that they have not received any offers for Saleng, who was honored with the PSL Players’ Player of the Season award for the 2022/23 season.
“At Orlando Pirates Football Club, we are deeply concerned about the rising spread of false information on social media and in some media sources regarding alleged offers for our players,” the club expressed in their official statement on Wednesday.
“Generally, we prefer not to respond to unfounded rumors designed to create unnecessary sensationalism and clickbait.
“However, the ongoing prevalence of these unfounded claims necessitates a clarification of the situation.
“The rumors stem from a fabricated report about Monnapule Saleng, suggesting that the club had blocked him from pursuing a lucrative transfer opportunity to a Middle Eastern team.
“Initially, we chose to disregard this as just another false narrative aimed at justifying the player’s current absence from the squad. Unfortunately, this story has garnered undue attention, including from certain mainstream media sources.
“Here are the facts: Monnapule Saleng
“Orlando Pirates Football Club strongly denies ever receiving any offer from a Middle Eastern club regarding Monnapule Saleng’s services.
“On 13 January 2025, Kickoff.co.za published a story titled, The Gulf Region team was serious about Saleng, claiming that an agent, Rui Frois, had met with a ‘high-ranking’ Pirates official to discuss Saleng’s availability.
“Let it be clarified: The Club does not conduct business negotiations in shopping malls.
“No official from Orlando Pirates Football Club has had any discussions with Mr. Rui Frois about this matter.”
The club also addressed rumors that Saleng’s successor as Player of the Season, Patrick Maswanganyi, had been approached by a club in Portugal.
In contrast to Saleng, Maswanganyi has been consistently playing and recently contributed to Pirates’ advancement to the CAF Champions League quarter-finals by overcoming Al Ahly in Cairo.
“On 20 January 2025, Briefly News Sports published an article titled, Portuguese Club Eyes Bid for R40 Million-Rated Orlando Pirates Star,” Pirates remarked.
“Once again, the Club categorically dismisses this as mere speculation. No such offer has been made to the Club.
“It is extremely concerning that these baseless narratives mislead the public and affect our players’ focus, ultimately destabilizing the team. This behavior is entirely unacceptable.
“As a professional organization, Orlando Pirates Football Club is committed to conducting its business with integrity and transparency.
“We call on media outlets and individuals to verify their information before publishing, as false reporting not only harms the players and the Club but also undermines the credibility of the platforms involved.
“We appreciate our supporters for their unwavering trust and encourage them to rely on official channels for accurate updates.”
Pirates were set to face Royal AM at Harry Gwala Stadium in the Betway Premiership on Thursday; however, this match has been postponed along with Royal AM’s Nedbank Cup round of 32 match against Milford FC on Monday due to the club being under curatorship.