Mosimane Dragged Into R1.25 Million Legal Battle As Iranian Agent Demands Commission

After Pitso Mosimane, the head coach of Bafana Bafana, was connected to an R1.25 million commission issue resulting from his transfer to Iranian football club Esteghlal, South African football has been embroiled in yet another legal conflict.

Hamed Ghadiri, an Iranian football agent, has filed a complaint with the Johannesburg High Court alleging that he was underpaid for helping Mosimane transfer to the Iranian team.

Ghadiri asserts that he was given permission by Moira Tlhagale’s sports management firm, MT Sports Marketing and Management, to start talks with Esteghlal in October 2024 about Mosimane’s and his technical team members’ appointments, according to court documents obtained by the Sunday Times.

According to Ghadiri, Mosimane signed a deal with the Iranian club on October 18, 2024, as a result of his assistance in obtaining an employment offer.

An claimed service agreement containing a $100,000 (about R1.6 million) agent’s fee anticipated from Esteghlal is at the heart of the legal dispute.

According to Ghadiri, MT Sports promised to give him $75,000, or 75% of the expected agency fee, in exchange for his assistance in making the deal possible.

The agent claims he has not received the money he feels he is due to, even though he fulfilled his duties and assisted in securing the deal.

According to the court documents, Ghadiri also relied on a WhatsApp message that Mosimane purportedly sent on February 28, 2025.

The agent claims that Mosimane informed him that his wife would make the necessary arrangements, so he didn’t need to worry about the unpaid balance.

Additionally, according to Ghadiri, Mosimane assured him that the commission issue would be settled once his disagreement with Esteghlal regarding unpaid salary was settled via the proper football channels.

However, because MT Sports and Tlhagale contest a number of the agent’s claims, the situation has gotten more convoluted.

Tlhagale and her business allegedly admit that Ghadiri introduced Mosimane to Esteghlal in their reply submitted to the Johannesburg High Court.

However, they contest the scope of his authority, contending that he was just tasked with contacting the Iranian team to find out if it would be interested in hiring the South African coach.

They contend that he was not permitted to carry out additional discussions, sign contracts, or get the agency fees.

The defendants additionally contend that Alfonso Leon Lleo, another FIFA-registered agent who collaborated with Tlhagale, managed the discussions that followed.

The purported service agreement is the subject of yet another significant dispute. Tlhagale and MT Sports allegedly contest the document’s legitimacy, claiming that it was never duly signed by the pertinent parties, despite Ghadiri’s insistence that it proved his right to the commission.

Additionally, they argue that the promised payment was contingent upon MT Sports first obtaining Esteghlal’s agency fee.

The Iranian club failed or refused to pay the anticipated fee, according to their court documents, therefore the corporation did not get the money that Ghadiri was due.

Because of the financial issues surrounding Mosimane’s appointment at Esteghlal, the controversy has garnered attention.

Due to unpaid salaries, the coach and his technical staff left the Iranian team in January 2025. Despite efforts to remedy the issue, his management organization claimed at the time that his salaries remained unpaid.

The financial arrangements underlying the appointment have now received fresh attention due to the recent judicial proceedings.

For the time being, the Johannesburg High Court argument still revolves around the agent’s purported contractual entitlement, the authority bestowed upon him, and whether or not the payment requirements were met.

The accusations made against MT Sports and the company’s rebuttal shouldn’t be regarded as conclusive evidence of misconduct. In the end, the court will have to decide what the parties’ contractual responsibilities are.

Therefore, the R1.25 million commission dispute is another legal matter related to Mosimane’s brief tenure in Iranian football, and the resolution will probably make clear who was responsible for setting up his Esteghlal appointment.

Source : https://x.com/TimesLIVE/status/2116733397926031650

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