Pitso Mosimane, the head coach of Bafana Bafana, has been tied to a commission issue that is worth R1.25 million. This dispute is a result of his move to Esteghlal, an Iranian football team. South African football has been entangled into yet another legal scandal.

Hamed Ghadiri, an Iranian football agent, has filed a petition with the Johannesburg High Court in response to allegations that he was not compensated for his involvement in enabling Mosimane's transfer to the Iranian team. The controversy includes Ghadiri.

According to court documents that were reported by the Sunday Times, Ghadiri asserts that he was authorised by Moira Tlhagale's sports management company, MT Sports Marketing and Management, to initiate discussions with Esteghlal in October 2024 regarding the appointment of Mosimane and members of his technical team. These discussions were to take place in regard to the appointment of Mosimane on the team.

It is alleged by Ghadiri that his participation was instrumental in obtaining an employment offer from the Iranian club, which ultimately led to Mosimane accepting a contract on October 18, 2024.

The claimed service agreement that is at the heart of the legal dispute requires Esteghlal to pay an agent's fee of one hundred thousand dollars, which is equivalent to nearly one and a half million rand.

Ghadiri asserts that MT Sports has agreed to compensate him with $75,000, which is equivalent to 75% of the anticipated agency fee, in exchange for his participation to the facilitation of the deal.

Nevertheless, the agent asserts that he has not been paid the money to which he believes he is due, despite the fact that he has fulfilled his tasks and contributed to the protection of the agreement.

Additional evidence presented in the court documents suggests that Ghadiri relied on a communication that was purportedly sent by Mosimane over WhatsApp on February 28, 2025.

The version provided by the agent states that Mosimane reassured him that he should not be concerned about the payment that was still pending since his wife would take care of its arrangement.

In addition, Ghadiri asserts that Mosimane made a commitment that the commission issue would be rectified when his disagreement with Esteghlal regarding unpaid salary was resolved through the official football channels.

However, the situation has gotten more complicated as a result of the fact that MT Sports and Tlhagale disagree with the agent's assertions about a number of different areas.

Tlhagale and her company are said to have acknowledged in their response that was submitted to the Johannesburg High Court that Ghadiri was the one who introduced Mosimane to Esteghlal.

Additionally, they argue that his role was restricted to approaching the Iranian club and determining whether or not it was interested in selecting the South African coach. This is despite the fact that they disagree with the extent of the authority that was granted to him.

They continue to assert that he was not permitted to carry out any additional conversations, come to any contractual arrangements, or receive the agency payments.

On top of that, the defendants contend that following discussions were conducted by Alfonso Leon Lleo, who is also a FIFA-registered agent and worked alongside Tlhagale.

The alleged service agreement is the subject of yet another significant debate. While Ghadiri believes that the paper proved his entitlement to the commission, Tlhagale and MT Sports are apparently disputing its legitimacy, arguing that it was never properly signed by the appropriate parties. Ghadiri's position is that the document established his entitlement to the commission.

In addition, they argue that the payment that was promised was contingent upon MT Sports first obtaining the agency fee from Esteghlal.

Based on the documents that were submitted to the court, it was determined that the Iranian club either did not pay the anticipated fee or refused to pay it. This indicates that the corporation did not get the money that was intended to compensate Ghadiri.

The fact that Mosimane's appointment at Esteghlal was previously surrounded by financial concerns, the argument has garnered a lot of attention.

Due to unresolved issues about wage payments, the coach and his technical team decided to sever company with the Iranian club in January of 2025. Despite the fact that efforts were made to remedy the issue, his management organization indicated at the time that the outstanding salaries had not been settled.

As a result of the most recent judicial procedures, the financial arrangements that were associated with that appointment have received another wave of attention.

For the time being, the case that is being heard in the Johannesburg High Court is still based on the agent's purported contractual claim, the authority that was granted to him, and the question of whether or not the conditions for payment were met.

The claims that have been made against MT Sports, as well as the defence that the firm has presented, should not be considered to be established conclusions of wrongdoing. When all is said and done, the court will be responsible for determining the contractual duties of the parties involved.

The argument regarding the R1.25 million commission is consequently another legal problem that is tied to Mosimane's brief stint in Iranian football. The conclusion of this conflict is expected to clarify the duties of the persons involved in arranging his appointment to Esteghlal.

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