Marumo Gallants have provided an update on two the club members who have been detained in Libya over a "financial dispute".
Gallants Media Liaison Rufus Matsena and team physiotherapist Tebogo Amos Dhlomo have been detained in Libya since the team's CAF Confederation Cup clash against Al Akhdar on 19 March 2023.
Read: Detained In Foreign Country: 'I Would Have Stayed Behind'
Statement:
Efforts are still underway to bring home two Marumo Gallants F.C. staff members (Media Liaison Rufus Matsena and team physiotherapist Tebogo Amos Dhlomo) detained in Libya over a financial dispute following the team's CAF Confederation Cup match against Libya's Al Akhdar on 19 March 2023.
A virtual meeting was held yesterday under the mediation of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in an attempt to urgently resolve the issue.
Parties in attendance included the executive management team of Marumo Gallants, the South African Football Association (SAFA), the Libyan embassy in South Africa, South Africa's ambassador to Tunisia and other relevant officials. The Libyan hotel owner, as well as the staff members involved (Matsena and Dhlomo), were also in attendance. Talks and processes are currently underway to settle the matter and bring the PSL club's employees back home.
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Marumo Gallant's Chairman Abram Sello has pleaded with the parties involved to allow the two staff members to return home while the issue is being finalized. "My people belong at home here in South Africa with their families, especially over the Easter period. Both men are extremely emotional and exhausted, and need to return to their homes and loved ones", said Sello.
He further stated: "I am trying my utmost to get them back to South African soil. This is an active case and a very sensitive one. My priority is to get my employees back safely. We are
not ignoring the media - we have to take into account the various factors that influence this matter and act accordingly.
Our sole focus is on bringing our people back home to South Africa. We ask that the media bear with us during this period and understand the fragility of the situation. As we have stated, once the two men are back in the country, we will engage with media and respond to questions around the situation that has transpired."
In light of the above, media interviews will be put on hold pending the resolution of the matter. Details around a pending media briefing will follow thereafter.
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