In this edition of Negotiating Behind The Scenes, KickOff catches up with former Kaizer Chiefs striker Sydney Moshikaro.
Moshikaro reveals how the Soweto giants made him sign a contract without his agent.
Which year did you join Kaizer Chiefs, and how did you find out they were interested?
"In 2002, during the World Cup in Korea, Bobby Motaung called and said to me, 'We've been looking for you, man. You are a Kaizer Chiefs player; you must report for duty.'
"A year earlier, while I was still at Ria Stars, I had been told to go to Kaizer Chiefs because I supposedly belonged to them. However, because people like Sis Ria Ledwaba didn't share all the details of the deal with me, I hesitated and only joined Chiefs the following season."
Where did you meet?
"In the Kaizer Chiefs village in Naturena, Bobby Motaung was there, and also in the presence of chairman Kaizer Motaung. I was happy, but at the same time, I was nervous sitting in the same room with the great Kaizer Motaung.
"All they told me was, 'We've been looking for you; your deal was done by Screamer [Tshabalala], and he didn't inform us about this and that.'
"After I explained my side of the story, they asked me, 'So how much are you expecting as your salary?'
"My response was, 'You guys should tell me how much you can offer me!' [Laughs]. This continued until I stated how much I was expecting.
"They then replied, 'No, that is too much. This is what we can afford.' I accepted their offer since it was three times more than what I was earning at Ria Stars."
What surprised you?
"When I mentioned my agent, they said, 'No, leave that agent of yours out of this, otherwise he's going to eat your money. We want to negotiate with you only so that we can give you what you want.'
"But they were right because that agent was useless anyway. Agents only think of you during negotiations, but when you have problems, they are nowhere to be found."
If we went back to that day of negotiations, is there anything you would change?
"Nothing, to be honest."