In a radio interview following his departure, Tau alleged that the reason the club deemed him surplus to requirements was nothing to do with football, though he did not elaborate.
Today, however, Motaung gave the club’s full side of the story.
“Firstly, I would like to voice my displeasure on how Jimmy handled the matter ... it is a pity that some people get emotional when they receive bad news and he reacted the way he did. I feel sorry for him, but his future is bright. We have developed him into a person who can do anything tomorrow in his life,” Motaung starts off.
'Bobsteak' says the decision to part ways was purely business.
“It is a normal business; when a contract comes to an end, there are two parties that must sit and negotiate. Once more, we sat with the coach and looked at his situation. Jimmy did a good job for us. He was the captain and he was a great player for us.
“But he got injured and he was out of the team for a season. The team did well in terms of acquiring other players in his position. His contract was up and he didn’t play the whole season, so is it fair for us to renew his contract and put him on the bench? Is it professional? We looked at various factors. We always look at the interests of the team before we look at any other issue.
“Is it fair for us to keep players who are not going to be playing? Is it fair to renew contracts for the sake of renewing? It is not fair.
“The fact is we have players who did well in his position and he didn’t play the whole season. It is a normal business thing. Hypothetically, if Jimmy says he wants a R2-million signing-on fee or salary, I must justify it to the board and the coach must guarantee that he’s got a place for him in the team because that money is for a player who is going to be playing, so there are factors that come into play when you negotiate contracts,” Motaung concludes.
Despite the simmering tension between Tau and the club, Chiefs’ marketing director Jessica Motaung still speaks highly of him.
“Jimmy served us well. He was our captain and he did very well. We will remember him for the relationship we had with him when he was here.”