Bance exit from Marumo Gallants ‘likely’ after contract stand-off, says club president

Marumo Gallants president Abram Sello says the club have effectively accepted the departure of Ibrahim Bance after negotiations to extend the striker’s stay broke down.

Bance, who joined Gallants last season on a one-year deal with an option for renewal, has become one of the most talked-about names of the current transfer window, with several of South Africa’s leading clubs reported to be tracking him. Despite the contractual option that appeared to favour Gallants, Sello has indicated the player is now on his way out.

Speaking to Soccer Laduma, Sello revealed that the club had exercised their option and entered talks to keep the Burkina Faso international, but those discussions failed to reach a compromise.

“He had a one-year contract, with an option. The option means you are trying to keep the player, but there are negotiations between the two parties,” Sello explained.

“The agents and lawyers are involved, and then you reach a compromise where you say do you keep him or release him? So, at the moment, it’s still in that dilemma, but the way I see it, it may not happen,” he said.

Sello added that Bance’s own wishes ultimately forced Gallants’ hand.

“If the player is not happy, you can’t force him to be there, so we just had to release him.”

The club boss did not disclose which teams are in the running for Bance’s signature, but the forward has been widely linked in local reports with some of the Premier Soccer League’s heavyweight sides as he considers his next move.

Squad overhaul at Gallants

Bance’s expected exit forms part of a significant reshaping of the Marumo Gallants squad ahead of the new campaign, with a number of other departures already confirmed.

Among the players leaving the club are Jaisen Clifford, Siyabonga Nhlapo, Washington Arubi, Katekane Mhlongo, Lebogang Mabotja and Edsom Khumalo. No details were given on the nature of their exits, but their departures contribute to a major turnover in personnel.

In response, Gallants have moved aggressively in the market, announcing the arrival of 13 new signings this weekend as they attempt to rebuild before the season starts.

The new recruits are Emile Lako, Thokozani Lukhele, Prince Manku, Mlungisi Sikakane, Patrick Motsoeneng, Kgomotso Marebane, Thato Mohlomme, Samkele Sihlali, Thabang Sesinyi, Thabiso Mkwanazi, Onalenna Lepelesana, Lebogang Button and Thulani Zandamela.

No contract lengths or transfer fees have been made public, but the volume of signings underlines the scale of the changes at the club following Bance’s departure and the release of several senior players.

Future remains unresolved

While Sello believes Bance’s time at Gallants is over, he also suggested the situation remains technically unresolved from an administrative standpoint, with the contractual option having triggered negotiations that never reached a final, mutual agreement.

For now, though, the Gallants president is treating the matter as closed from the club’s perspective, making clear they will not attempt to compel the striker to stay.

With one of the league’s most talked-about forwards now seemingly available and a major rebuild under way in Limpopo, attention is expected to turn swiftly to where Bance will play his football next season, and how a revamped Marumo Gallants side will cope without him.