Black Leopards midfielder Andriamirado ‘Dax’ Andrianarimanana has credited Kaizer Chiefs for helping him following an investigation that his former club Fosa Juniors allegedly forged his signature.
The Malagasy international insists he did not have a professional contract with the Madagascan outfit, and says he still has a contract with Lidoda Duvha whilst also thanking the club’s chairman David Thidiela.
‘Dax’ finished the four-month suspension imposed by Fifa in February after he was found guilty of unlawfully joining the Soweto giants, and his appeal case will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) on Wednesday, September 9.
“It was very difficult for me not to play for a long time so after four months I am back to play football,” Andrianarimanana told FARPost.
“I did not sign for the club [Fosa Juniors] in Madagascar, the problem is with the boss [the cause of the issue] at Juniors and it killed me.
“They were not paying me a salary like here in South Africa and he wanted to make my move to Chiefs difficult. Chiefs helped me too much and they paid me my salary every month and the club in Madagascar faked me [my signature] too much.”
On his future with the Thohoyandou-based outfit, Andrianarimanana has pledged his loyalty to the club, saying the supporters can look forward to seeing him back in action.
“I have signed a two-year contract with Leopards so I am still around and to the supporters of Leopards I am back to play for the team and to help improve the clubs’ performances and thank you to the Chairman [Thidiela for helping me with everything," he added.
The Madagascar international moved to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) log leaders from Juniors in 2018 but his move attracted controversy, and he spent four months on the sidelines after his switch was deemed illegal by the global football governing body.
On the other hand, 'Dax' struggled to establish himself at Naturena under coach Ernst Middendorp and was eventually shipped out to Lidoda Duvha at the beginning of the current campaign.
In addition, with the 29-year-old midfielder after finally completing his Fifa ban, he will hope to successfully win the case against him in order to focus on his career.