Springbok Sevens star Lionel Mapoe will stay in Durban and will appeal the court ruling handed down against him by the Bloemfontein High Court on Wednesday.
rugby365
This ruling on Wednesday, by Judge Corné van Zyl, ordered Mapoe to report to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein before or by 15.00 on Thursday.
However, Mapoe’s lawyer, Frikkie Erasmus, confirmed on Thursday that they will “file papers” before the 15.00 deadline, set out in court papers.
This followed the urgent application by the Free State Cheetahs against Mapoe, the KwaZulu-Natal-based Sharks and two other parties, to force the Sevens Bok to return to Bloemfontein and play for the Cheetahs.
Mapoe had been practicing with the Sharks since May, despite a standing contract with the Cheetahs.
In court documents Mapoe said he wanted to play for the Sharks, but the Cheetahs refused to release him.
Erasmus confirmed that Mapoe had no intention of returning to Bloemfontein.
“He doesn’t want to play for the Cheetahs,” Erasmus said, adding that the appeal against Wednesday’s court ruling was based on “legal principles” and not emotion.
Erasmus admitted that the Sharks have been paying Mapoe’s salary since May, when he arrived in Durban, and that the player had received no payment from the Cheetahs since his departure in May.
Although Erasmus declined to elaborate on the details of the agreement between Mapoe and the Sharks, it is possible that he would earn up to five times more in Durban than what the case would be in Bloemfontein.
Mapoe, who was on a R60,000 per annum junior contract with the Cheetahs last year, received an ‘increase’ from the Cheetahs in December – when they agreed to pay him R200,000 per year.
However, once he was named in the Cheetahs Super 14 squad at the beginning of the year, he became subject to the standard players’ agreement that stipulates a minimum monthly payment of R27,500.
By May, however, Mapoe had decided he wanted to move to Durban and midway through the month failed to turn up at the Cheetahs – who then withheld payment on a ‘no play, no pay’ principle.
The matter then developed into the protracted tug-o’-war that has been dragging on for months – even resulting in the Cheetahs refusing to release Mapoe to the national Sevens team that will compete in next month’s Commonwealth Games.
And the end of the saga is still – sadly – not in sight, as Mapoe’s appeal means he will stay in Durban and continue to train with the Sharks until a date for the appeal hearing has been set.
@ superBul:
Dude when rugby loses I get pissed off.
There are way too many ‘playa’s’ in the mix here arguing matters by the book when the book has no relevance to the circumstances.
I have dealt with too many players and self-important administrators to know that very few are in this to serve the game.
What I can guarantee you though, is that doing this by the book when it suits you wins you the battle, but ultimately makes you lose the war.
I have personally served on both sides, and I can tell you there is none so crooked than an administrator trying to save his bacon.
28@ Morné:
Oh my word, did you just blow a foofy-valve Morné?
Funny how my stance and the processes in Court concur, whereas the emotional response from you differs.
Maybe it’s a Lawyer thing… hehehe
This is a contractual dispute, which should be handled in terms of what drives and governs contractual disputes in SA…. and 2 unemotional Rulings from competent bodies of Law in Sa have ruled on the matter.
That’s how things work in real life, fella!
Of course I dismissed the possibility of a Cheetahs case against the Bulls regarding Basson, because I applied the legal principles which apply, just like I do in the Mapoe case.
Who should be held responsible that Mapoe took up the pen to sign his deals with the Cheetahs…. him and his Agent / parents / guardian or the Cheetahs? I don’t believe there are allegations of guns against heads or force or an unwillingness to sign, anywhere. He could have refused the deal, signed or negotiated for a shorter duration or elsewhere… or signed and accepted that this is his 1st contract and that he’d have to better himself to be eligible for a better deal later.
So, next time, sign after more careful consideration of the ramifications… simple as that.
Cosato indeed!
@ grootblousmile:
I know the Bulls eyed Mapoe too. But i doubt he would be handled this way. The real guilty guy is the BLOODY AGENT.
@ grootblousmile:
Perhaps you did not read the opening remark of two of my posts…
Consider the CIRCUMSTANCES under which this was done.
Believe it or not GBS, 99% of people are ignorant specifically when it comes to matter of law and contractual obligations and NOT reading, or understanding the fine print.
Never once did I question the legal aspect of this decision, because there is simply no case.
What I do question which you seem ignorant to, is the circumstances under which the legal agreements were done.
Of course, being a lawyer, you think like a lawyer, which is great – and I know that is the ‘way life is fella’ as I have experienced this personally with players stupidly signing their lives away.
My priority will always be rugby however, and the laws which governs common decency and morals.
And I always know people like me will always lose, and people like you will always win.
17-Year old’s or 18-year old’s makes some of the most crucial decisions in their lives at that age…
Invariably we all decide in Matric or just thereafter what line of work or studies we will take…… then work in that environment for the rest of our adult lives, due to decisions we take at that fragile age.
Some has the dumb luck to be stuck with a baby because of a decision made at 17 or 18 or stuck with a partner…
It is the reality….
The only thing we can teach children is to distinguish between right and wrong… they WILL make their own choices, some of which will be foolish choices… we’ve all done it!
Mapoe made a deliberate choice at 18 to sign a contract, it was a decision which would affect his life ahead, it is nothing new, nothing untoward…. nothing sinister…. probably 30 or 40 young Free State lighties did exactly the same in that one year alone as well as did the same amount of youngsters at probably 5 or 6 other smaller Rugby Unions too….
@ grootblousmile:
Which is why I said, guys like that will always win, and guys like Mapoe will always lose. Ignorance is indeed bliss
I am out, dinner time.
36@ Morné:
Guys like Mapoe have responsibilities and they should honour those responsibilities, just like you and me.
What makes Mapoe different?
Tell me you have not made mistakes which you would want to undo if you had the choice to do it again… I have made my own choices which I cannot undo…. all of us have.
I’m not ignorant, he sits with a reality he has to face.
@morne why are you so mad!like i said it is not as if mapoe was illiterite when he sighnd his contrackt an ffs read the facts he was paid a standard super 14 salery this year 27000 a month for a 22 year old kid.fact is slim vang sy baas en dis wat gebeur het,it seems to me that all the people that is now so outraged is selectifly blind because not one of you can confess that the sharks were totally out of line here
Morné wrote:
Morne, I fully agree with you 100%. Now if they can pay Robert Ebersohn that amount why pay Mapoe R150 000 per year? Not right at all. Think Cheetahs exploited him at the age of 18 by signing him for 3 years. What does a youngster of that age know? Now read that Cheetahs say they wont accept a transfer fee of one million rand either, cause they feel the player is worth so much more? They are getting their mouths in a twist here really. So if he is worth more then why not pay him what he is worth? Which is about R100 000 the Sharks are supposed to be paying him. Until they pay him that or a similar salary to what Ebersohn gets don’t think this is going to get resovled.
I don’t agree with breaking a contract but this time something is not right. That is for sure.
@ Puma:Think Ebersohn is getting around R700 000 per year at Cheetahs. Huge difference that to what Mapoe was offered. R150 000.
Not fair at all.
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