Sharks take aim at Mapoe
4 Nov 2010
The Sharks plan to take legal action against Lionel Mapoe for his defection to the Lions.
The Mapoe tug-of-war was initially a battle between the Cheetahs and Sharks, with the latter expected to win, but it emerged this week that Mapoe has signed with the Lions and will play for them in the 2011 Super Rugby competition.
Mapoe has defected to the Lions despite the Sharks paying for his injury rehabilitation as well as his accommodation in Durban. Sharks boss Brian van Zyl questioned Mapoe’s integrity and ethics, telling The Times that the Durban union plans to sue the player for damages.
‘We have spent months rehabilitating him here in Durban, paying him substantially more than he was being [paid] by Free State and ensuring that he would be fit and well by the time he was able to play for us when we finally had a clearance certificate,’ Van Zyl said.
‘Last week I heard rumours that Lionel was talking to another union. We sent him home to Queenstown at the weekend to see his partner and their baby, but it later emerged he’d met with Lions shareholders Robert Gumede and Ivor Ichikowitz at his flat in Durban.
‘We are going to sue Lionel for his wages, costs and damages. I don’t know who will pay, whether it will be the Lions, the shareholders or the player, but someone is going to have to pay up.
‘John [Plumtree - Sharks coach] is very upset after all the hard work we put in. Lionel has used us and there is a lot of animosity towards him.’
The Lions claim that Mapoe never had a contract with the Sharks. They secured his services by negotiating with the Cheetahs, and feel there are no grounds to take the matter to court.
155 Comments
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4 Nov 2010, 10:35 am
This is shocking
4 Nov 2010, 10:38 am
Dragon with no binding contract with the Shark suckers who as humanitarians decided to rescue Mapoe from farm boy wages, pay for his medical bills and rehab, then pay him to practice with them … so why sue him for Shark mistakes?
4 Nov 2010, 10:39 am
Lionel is going to end up ruining his career in SA if he carries on like this. Seems pretty bigheaded to me. He´s burning bridges left right and centre and he´d better turn inot a stupendously gifted wing if he´s going to stay in the game. There are many decent wings on the up and up and if he´s average I think most unions will avoid him just based on his integrity.
I think what he´s done to both the Cheetahas and the Sharks is pretty out of line.
And to hell with the stupid Dragon business.
4 Nov 2010, 10:40 am
LOL poetic justice in my book…
4 Nov 2010, 10:42 am
Slim vang sy baas as they say in the Mother tounge.
They both deserve what they get. Sharks and Lionel
4 Nov 2010, 10:46 am
Lions must be pretty desperate for wingers if they’ll have anything to do with such a conniving mercenary…
4 Nov 2010, 10:46 am
@Redlion is doing pre-season conditioning(RL) :
Why not, he has a contract of some sort (written or verbal) with the Sharks.
The appeal was coming up next week and Mapoe will now withdraw it.
We will now never know what would have happened at the appeal.
FS were obviously not confident that they would win the appeal so they sold him making the appeal moot. That’s fair enough by FS and probably good business.
No idea how much money this is but why shouldn’t the Sharks try and recover it? They can’t win Mapoe now but they can try and recover costs.
4 Nov 2010, 10:47 am
Eish.
Icky and Bob are going to have to get their chequebooks out again.
Lionel is busy making his name Mapoo.
4 Nov 2010, 10:50 am
@Biscuit(Biscuit) : I think that Lionel may argue, with good reason, that any contract he did or didn’t have at the Sharks is null and void as he was under contract to another Union at the time, as found by the courts, and therefore was not legally empowered to enter into another contract of a similar nature with another Union without the consent of the Cheetahs.
The Sharks knew about his contract and therefore were at their own risk.
4 Nov 2010, 10:50 am
Mapoe gooi naam en sy toekoms weg … weet hy wie en wat die Lions is en hoe k@k hulle in rugby is … vra die Pumas!
4 Nov 2010, 10:51 am
You see Brian van Zyl, by LAW, you had jackshit. You tried to lure him away from the Cheetahs with money, but got beat at your own game by the Lions, who forked out more, and showed you right way to do player acquisitions.
4 Nov 2010, 10:53 am
@Frankly speaking(Frankly speaking) : Ed Zachery Frank, Ed Zachery.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy BTW……
4 Nov 2010, 10:56 am
This boy is taking advice from the wrong ppl.He’s doesn’t know his arse from his elbow when it comes to contracts, but he should have had a sence of moral abligation towards the sharks for taking care of him.
4 Nov 2010, 10:56 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy) :
No problem then, hand back the money.
If there is no contract then payments must be refunded.
You cant argue invalid contract and keep the money
4 Nov 2010, 10:57 am
Van Zyl’s rant seems a bit rich.
That being said, Mapoe is not covering himself in glory either.
Both of you take off your shirts. Lift your elbows to your foreheads. Press your noses into your armpits. Take a deep sniff. Don’t you two both smell like roses?
4 Nov 2010, 10:57 am
“Sharks boss Brian van Zyl questioned Mapoe’s integrity and ethics”
And it didn’t occur to you when he abandoned the union he was contracted to and joined up with yours, even training in and posing in Sharks gear for his web profile??
4 Nov 2010, 11:00 am
SA Rugby has to get rid of rogue agents who are ******* up player’s careers.
JC, why not ask SA Rugby what measures they have in place to regulate agents in this country?
4 Nov 2010, 11:00 am
sharks
have proved
themselves
to be
underhanded
in player
acquisitions
more than
once
it now
came back
to bite them
in the form
of a player
who thinks
he is
entitled
4 Nov 2010, 11:02 am
lions
bought
themselves
a sheetload
of
problems
4 Nov 2010, 11:04 am
And yet de Villiers is still willing to invite this idiot to tour with the Boks. Nice going.
4 Nov 2010, 11:05 am
@Biscuit(Biscuit) : It depends on the nature of the payments. If they were to be considered an advance on his salary, then they may well claim “unjust enrichment” and require that he hand back the cash for his wages. Rehab and stuff is a little more tricky. Lionel may argue that a great deal of this was more in the nature of a gift, as inducement to sign or something like that.
I’m not a Lionel fan at all after this, personally if he never plays again I won;t miss him. I just think that Brian’s behaviour was in bad faith, Male Fides as they say, and that he cannot now approach the courts for restitution. The doctrine of “unclean hands” might well apply here.
4 Nov 2010, 11:06 am
He has ruined his reputation with 3 Super 15 teams in South Africa. The Sharks and Cheetahs won’t touch him, and the Bulls will also not ever consider signing him.
It will be interesting to see what happens to him during his first game for the Lions versus the Sharks.
4 Nov 2010, 11:07 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy) : Basically, every-one is a b@stard in this situation, and is not a good look for South African rugby.
4 Nov 2010, 11:10 am
Los nou net vir Mapoe uit. Die Lions gaan powerful wees next jaar.
4 Nov 2010, 11:10 am
All this talk of ethics is amusing.
As an avid and die hard shark fan, it is slightly dissapointing. In all honesty I was all smiles when it was announced he came to the sharks albeit through the un proffesional manner that he did. However the tables are now turned and mapoe is clearly just after more and more money. I would blame ignorance and a bad manager, because no matter how much you are going to earn, it will not be good for your career if you go around burning bridges. If we compare apples with apples the Lions beat us at our own game. More dissapointed in the way this is happening rather than actually losing mapoe. But good riddens as im sure his talent wont outwiegh his liability as an untrustworthy teamate. He is a prospect though.
But now we have JP and Mvovo to start with ndungane and luzuko vulindlu as back up. good for sa rugby to spread the wealth.
Advice to lionel- get a better agent, stick to your word, stand for something or else you fall for everything. Good luck though you are still young.
4 Nov 2010, 11:11 am
lions will in all likelyhood pay on lionel’s behalf, so gets another gift. I cant stand the sharks but agree that someone wil have to reimberse them.
4 Nov 2010, 11:13 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21) : Totally.
4 Nov 2010, 11:14 am
Oh dear, definitely someone Frikked up.
Surely we can get a TV mini-series off this.
Call it,
Don’t come the Raw Prawn.
4 Nov 2010, 11:14 am
@Zinto(Zinto) : I personally dont think the lions will be competitive in S15 next year. you can buy players but it doesnt guarantee a team. maybe build on 2010 currie cup next year but realistically challenge from latter part of 2012. They wont even make semis off currie cup next year. but good things await in future im sure
4 Nov 2010, 11:15 am
@PissAnt(PissAnt) :
I have been saying this for years.
too many hackers.
every two bit shyster lawyer is suddenly a sports agent.
4 Nov 2010, 11:16 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy) :
If he was that sure of the unclean hands then why not let the appeal process complete next week?
The Sharks were confident of winning the appeal.
If Mapoe had lost his appeal then FS would have had a cause of action against Mapoe but we will never know.
Again, if FS were that confident of winning they would not have sold him. Mapoe would be worth more next week.
Its a commercial contractual dispute and not about an illegal action of behalf of anyone.
He got a salary, there were medical costs etc.
You guys are mixing dislike of the Sharks with the truth.
4 Nov 2010, 11:17 am
@chucky
agree that super rugby 2011 wont see the lions in top 8. however I do predict a cc semi next year.
4 Nov 2010, 11:17 am
@RugbyRulz(RugbyRulz) : true
why not get deborah patta onto this or maybe derick watts?? should serve up an interesting dish with Reyneke/Van zyl/Verster… Why leave currie cup champs and serious S15 contenders to currie cup pretenders for a few extra thousands maybe 30 to 40 % more sharks were gonna pay
4 Nov 2010, 11:19 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy) :
the clincher is that he met the Lions representatives in the flat THAT THE SHARKS WERE PAYING FOR.
class.
4 Nov 2010, 11:21 am
@gunther(gunther) : Wonder who his agent is… Obviously a Gordon Gecko fan.
4 Nov 2010, 11:23 am
even
the dumbest
agent
would’ve acted
differently
by now
i think
the problem is
mapoe
fancies himself
as a bit
of a
businessman
4 Nov 2010, 11:27 am
@RugbyRulz(RugbyRulz) :
more like Alan Stanford..
4 Nov 2010, 11:30 am
Go on Sharks take the greedy ******* down!
4 Nov 2010, 11:32 am
Chances are Porra, he isn’t contractually liable and if Mapoe hasn’t given notice of intent, they are Frikked.
4 Nov 2010, 11:32 am
Wow, this makes you think.
Maybe the player has been the shark (pardon the pun) this whole time.
4 Nov 2010, 11:33 am
Keo banning the word b@stard now???
Beware!!!
Julius will take you down as well!
4 Nov 2010, 11:36 am
This is all so funny. Each and everyone of you bloggers slamming and foul mouthing him now would have sung another tune if he was signing with your province. Double standards and hypocrisy is a trademark of this site.
4 Nov 2010, 11:37 am
@Two Eyed(Two Eyed) :
and
your point
is
what
?
4 Nov 2010, 11:41 am
@Two Eyed(Two Eyed) : You again moaning about double standards!
Go cry somewhere else!
4 Nov 2010, 11:41 am
@BISCUIT
You appear to like the truth the way you see it.
The Sharks negotiated with a player under contract without the Cheetahs consent – that is already an illegal action.
They then signed the player while he was under contract.
They disputed this and lost,it went to arbritation and they lost.
Therefore if they kept paying and rehabilitating Lionel,they were doing it without a valid contract.
How can they now sue a player for not having a valid contract?
The Lions went about the transfer in the correct manner and now the Sharks are up in arms? – how about when the Lions have lost players in the past to the Sharks even though they had a contract,admittedly it wasn’t a standard SARPA contract.
The Sharks are exactly as their name suggest….sharks!
Always looking to sign players in an underhand fashion and not willing to obey the laws that govern player transfers.
I don’t even understand why they want Mapoe if they already have Mvovo,Ndungane and Pietersen.
Live by the sword,die by the sword – it’s justice for a change!
4 Nov 2010, 11:44 am
@Two Eyed(Two Eyed) :
so you would let somebody pay your bills for 6 months, put a roof over your head and then talk to a third party, behind their back?
I’m a not a sharks fan or a cheaters fan.
But if you think that’s ethical behaviour then you should open both of your two eyes before you fall off that donkey you are riding around on.
4 Nov 2010, 11:46 am
@Porra the Fat and Clever Speedster(Porra) : My point is stop winging a whining like a bunch of old women with wet underwear who have run out of gossip news.
@benno_on_tow(benno_on_tow) : Good post!!!
4 Nov 2010, 11:48 am
@gunther(gunther) : The sharks should have known better. There is a saying in afrikaans: As jy dom is moet jy kuk!
4 Nov 2010, 11:48 am
@gunther(gunther) : That basically sums it up!
4 Nov 2010, 11:50 am
@Two Eyed(Two Eyed) :
it is
actually
called
commenting
on some
unsavoury
dealings
between
provinces
and a
specific
player
who is
starting to
make a
habbit
of it
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