PODCAST | Safa official Maforvane attempts to explain Gallants’ Libyan mess

South African Football Association (Safa) football manager Mzwandile Maforvane says the governing body is engaging the government and a hotel owner in Libya to try to assist with the return of two Marumo Gallants officials effectively held hostage in Benghazi.

Maforvane shed light on Gallants' travel problems to Libya for their 4-1 Caf Confederation Cup defeat against Al-Akhdar on March 19, which resulted in the club seeking the assistance of their hotel owner in Benghazi, Dr Ali Elzargha.

Gallants have blamed the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, which resulted in flights to Libya being fully booked, for their travel plans being derailed. The club travelled to Istanbul in Turkey, but were not allowed to travel on a connecting flight to Benghazi because they did not have a letter of invitation from the Libyan FA, which was “only sent later, when the flight had left”, Maforvane said.

Elzargha apparently assisted Gallants by arranging a private plane from Istanbul to Benghazi, a new, rebranded playing kit (after the club's went missing in the flight confusion) and travel in the city.

His bill of about R675,000 for those services, including the cost of the private plane, shocked Gallants. Media officer Rufus Matsena and physiotherapist Tebogo Dhlomo, who remained behind to settle the bill, have been effectively held hostage at the hotel as Elzargha demands the amount be paid.

“We have been engaging [Gallants] on this issue from when it started. At first it seemed the officials were staying [in Libya] to make make a payment,” Maforvane told Marawa Sports Worldwide.

“Given the inconvenience Marumo experienced with their flight bookings to Libya, it was necessary for the two to remain to pay an outstanding account, only to find later that the amount was so exorbitant they could not afford it.”

Maforvane said he began engaging Gallants and the department of international relations and co-operation (Dirco) from “as soon as we became aware the hotel owner would not allow these two to leave”.

The club, Safa, Dirco and the hotel owner would hold a Zoom meeting to seek a solution on Thursday.

He has “not engaged the owner of the hotel” but had asked Gallants to provide documentation to prove the allegations they made in a letter sent to Safa that was forwarded to Dirco.

The Safa official said it was the second time Marumo used the hotel in Benghazi, having also stayed there for a Confed preliminary round match against Al Ahli Tripoli in November.

He believes Gallants paid the expenses of their squad staying at the hotel, but the disagreement is over further costs incurred over “assistance” provided by the hotel owner for a difficulty in their “travel from Istanbul to Benghazi”.

Asked what Gallants, by his understanding, still owe the hotel, Maforvane said: “My understanding is they tried to meet the guy [Elzargha], because the guy is not able to state how he came up with a figure [for the flight tickets and other assistance he provided] of $35,000 (R640,000).

“I understand the money keeps increasing because lately he was talking about $37,000 that they owe.

“The hotel expense was $6,000, which they have settled. When they got the invoice from the owner of the hotel for $35,000 they had to engage the airline to find out how much was paid, which was [also] $6,000.

“They understand the owner had to make an extra [effort to assist them] and they are prepared to pay him something extra, but how he got to $35,000 is not in their understanding.”

A statement by Dirco's head of public diplomacy Clayson Monyela, sent to the football news site Far Post, cautioned Elzargha that “holding people hostage is a criminal offence and the South African government will not allow our nationals to be kidnapped or held against their will”. 

Elzargha told Far Post: “How can I hold these guys hostage when I am giving them everything? They are getting food and internet and they come in and out and use their phones. I don’t know why they use this kind of language.

“The problem here is money, pay money, and that’s all. Why do they have to go to the Tunisia embassy or Libya? What will the embassy say? It will say pay the money, that’s all.”

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