Dolly's dad 'interference' irks Sundowns

The bitter contractual dispute between Mamelodi Sundowns and Keagan Dolly took yet another twist yesterday when the club accused the player's father, Ramon, of going out of his way to drag the Pretoria side's name through the mud.

Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe said this week there was a European club that expressed interest in Dolly and while the mining magnate did not reveal their identity, it has since emerged that the club in question is English Premier League giants Manchester City.

But Ramon raised doubts over the revelation and said in an interview with SABC radio on Thursday that he phoned City to test the veracity of the claims and officials at the club said they had never heard of anyone named Dolly.

Sundowns general manager Sizwe Nzimande fired back yesterday and said he was "extremely" disappointed with Ramon's utterances.

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"The sad thing is he [Ramon] actually knows that what the president said is true and the City Football Group, which Manchester City are a part of, had an interest in Dolly," a seething Nzimande said.

"What he said was intended to make Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club look bad and we are tired of this. We do not know what his motive is but we will provide proof."

Manchester City, New York City FC, Australia's Melbourne City FC and Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos are all members of the City Football Group.

Nzimande furnished an e-mail that was sent to Sundowns on August 25 last year by Brian Marwood, managing director of City Football Services, as proof of City's advances.

City officials apparently visited Sundowns on several occasions and also attended club matches to see Dolly in action first-hand. After they were satisfied with what they saw, a decision was then taken to "park" Dolly at New York City under coach Patrick Vieira as the player didn't have enough Bafana Bafana caps to qualify for a work permit in England.

The City Football Group even suggested at one stage that Dolly should move to Australia while he was in the process of gaining more Bafana caps, but Sundowns shot down the idea.

Nzimande said Dolly was then to stay in New York until such time he qualified for a move to England.

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"We have never stood in Dolly's way and it is unfair for anyone to suggest that we were lying about the City Football Group's interest in Dolly," he said. "To claim that we're blocking Dolly's move to Europe is just wrong on so many levels."

Nzimande said City's interest in Dolly has fluctuated over the last months and there have been periods when they have remained silent before making contact with Chloorkop.

It remains to be seen how much of an effect all this will have on star midfielder Dolly when the domestic league resumes after the Africa Cup of Nations next month.

If the 23-year-old is not able to secure a move away from the Brazilians in the coming weeks, the second half of the Premier Soccer League season could prove tricky for a player who clearly wants to go and ply his trade overseas.