Mammoth fees could soon land in the Orlando Pirates bank account for Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis. However, these deposits could have far-reaching implications in the short term.
Orlando Pirates to sell Mofokeng, Appollis to follow?
It’s always felt like a matter of time. Relebohile Mofokeng is expected to seal a move to Belgian side Union-Saint Gilloise in the coming days, and his exit from the club has been in the post for a while. Now feels like a decent time for the club to sanction a sale, given the 21-year-old’s eye-catching display against South Korea in the World Cup. Pirates could recoup €4 million (R75 million) for their prized Bafana star. Mofokeng will link up with Canada striker Promise David, the 1.95m tall star in Canada’s World Cup squad and was a 70th-minute substitute in the Canucks’ 1-0 win over Bafana. Mofokeng scored 10 goals and laid on eight assists in the league last term, spearheading Pirates’ charge to the title.
Oswin Appollis, meanwhile, is the subject of a €3 million (R56 million) offer from Portuguese giants Porto. If Pirates lose both marquee names in the same window, they’ll need to reinvest the considerable fees they get. If they don’t, the squad will be considerably weakened. Appollis’ output of nine goals and six assists from 30 league outings was a significant contribution.
World Cup watch
Meanwhile, African fans will be hoping an impressive DR Congo side can spring a surprise against the mighty England on Wednesday. That’s the next Round of 32 tie in a World Cup that’s already delivered thrills, spills and shocks galore. Although things went according to the script when Brazil beat Japan in stoppage time, the same can’t be said in other encounters. Germany fell to Paraguay on penalties, and Morocco also needed spot-kicks to down another European opponent, the Netherlands. Their reward is a meeting with Canada in the Round of 16.
- England vs DR Congo: Wed 1 Jul, 18:00
- Belgium vs Senegal: Wed 1 Jul, 22:00
- USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina: Thu 2 Jul, 02:00
- Spain vs Austria: Thu 2 Jul, 21:00
- Portugal vs Croatia: Fri 3 Jul, 01:00
- Switzerland vs Algeria: Fri 3 Jul, 05:00
- Australia vs Egypt: Fri 3 Jul, 20:00
- Argentina vs Cabo Verde: Sat 4 Jul, 00:00
- Colombia vs Ghana: Sat 4 Jul, 03:30
