Bafana Bafana midfielder Bongani Zungu insists he will leave Amiens when his contract expires at the end of the season, hitting out at the coach and board at the French club.
A few weeks ago, Amiens coach Philippe Hinschberger claimed that the midfielder, who is yet to play a competitive game since he returned from a loan spell from Rangers in April, was overweight and not fit enough to play despite the club languishing at the bottom end of the French second division.
However, Zungu has now spoken out on his situation, telling SoccerLaduma that his time at the club is up but his departure is not proving smooth as issues with the coach and board have been exposed.
“My family knows that I have no plans to stay here. I don’t want to be here – my time here is finished. This is a fact, and I am being honest. I can make my own decisions, it’s not up to people in the boardroom,” Zungu said.
“I am working very hard, training with the first team and doing all I can to play. But I don’t decide who plays even though we are in a crisis, second from bottom in Ligue 2. We can’t win a game and I want to help, but there are too many things happening. My mind is made up,” the midfielder said.
“I want to get out of Amiens, and right now I have a coach telling the media I am overweight. I don’t understand what he wants from me, maybe he is trying to save his job by saying bad things about me,” said an irate Zungu.
“I have asked him not to disrespect me. I want to play football and help, I think I am capable of that. But the coach is acting up, that’s fine and he’s apologised because I confronted him. It was disrespectful. In January I am going to be free, whatever happens.”
While the Bafana Bafana man expressed his love for some of the hierarchy at the club, he admitted that their price tag for him is holding his career back.
“I can confirm that I had offers, but the same situation that happened two or three years ago, happened. I love the Amiens sporting director, but there are things that happen in the boardroom that are just out of my control. There are so many clubs that tried to get me out of here, but they all felt I am too expensive for someone who still has a year left on his contract. It’s sad that my future is being decided in the boardroom. I have an agent that is doing his best to get me out of Amiens,” explained Zungu.
“I firmly believe that as players we should be in charge of our own paths, that’s why I have fired my previous agents. I am not going to go to the president’s office and start making demands, I have an agent for that. He told them to cancel my contract even before I came back to France. They refused. So, they are fully aware that I don’t want to play in Ligue 2, but I don’t know if the president knows this. My agent is probably on the phone with them right now! I want to leave, in December I don’t want to still be here.”
With the player’s contract up on 30 June 2022, he will be free to sign a pre-contract with a club of his choice from 1 January.
