Christmas not so merry for Siyethemba Sithebe! Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder expelled for 'raising hands & insulting Richards Bay coaches'

Siyethemba Sithebe was signed by Kaizer Chiefs from AmaZulu at the beginning of the 2022/23 season to bolster the midfield.

However, he did not make the desired impact for the Glamour Boys which justifies his exit after the deal expired at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Richards Bay signed him at the beginning of the ongoing campaign in their bid to strengthen the team.

SIthebe played a total of eight games for the Natal Richa Boys before falling out with the management.

The 31-year-old was not in the squad that played SuperSport United in the Premier Soccer League on December 6 owing to a knock.

Richards Bay lost the game by a solitary goal, after missing a first-half early penalty that was taken by Nkosikhona Ndaba. Bradley Grobler scored the only goal of the game.

Sithebe then stormed into the dressing room where, according to chairman Sifiso Biyela, he did not conduct himself in a good manner.

“We are like a Stellenbosch team and we say, we need certain players to help the young players to grow," he told Sportswire.

“That’s why we signed Sithebe, Thabiso Kutumela because we want them to play this role of seniority. Now, if you don’t behave well, because this thing it has nothing to do with football on the pitch.

“We lost painful against SuperSport having dominated the game. But when we are done talking and you raise your hands and you insult coaches in the dressing room, it means in the next game you have to play by force and we cannot co-exist like that," he added.

“As a senior player what you should do, ‘Guys, you played well, and unfortunately we missed the penalty’, encourage the boys to show you are a senior player."

Despite conceding he made a mistake, Sithebe did not appear to the Disciplinary Committee for a scheduled hearing and the decision to terminate his contract was reached.

“We didn’t just terminate the contract; he was called for the DC and we have a statement where he agreed that he made a mistake and he needed to appear to the DC," Biyela said.

"He agreed because we had to hire lawyers. After all, we were doing this externally.

"So, as it is now, I don’t even know who was our lawyer representing the club. On the date of the DC, he told us that he had been advised by his uncle and his agent [Musa Sithebe] not to appear in front of the DC.

“We had all the statements that confirm what happened. Unfortunately, we have 28 players and we cannot allow such a situation for a player to disrespect coaches," he concluded.

Sithebe has a lot of experience and can deliver for any team in the Premier Soccer League.

With the January transfer window set to open on Wednesday, the midfielder can only hope teams don't shy away from going for his services after what happened between him and Richards Bay.