Patrick Tignyemb vows to play on after contract termination

Patrick Tignyemb of Bloemfontein Celtic

Tuesday May 14, 2019. 09:00

Veteran Cameroonian goalkeeper Patrick Tignyemb says he has no intention of retiring despite having his contract terminated at South African club Bloemfontein Celtic.

Tignyemb was axed ahead of the final league match of the 2018/19 season this past weekend – despite an impressive return of 11 clean sheets in his previous 26 matches for the club.

"I'm only 33, I know I have some years ahead of me. I want to continue playing and making fans happy," the goalkeeper is quoted by the BBC.

"I've had several offers but I want to reflect on these before making a decision.

"Celtic owes me some money and I expect them to pay. Also the player's union is aware of what happened. I've also spoken to my lawyers.

"Despite recent events, I'm grateful to Celtic fans. They've been supportive and made me feel at home. I rejected offers to move to Europe because I felt I was with people who genuinely loved and cared about me."

Tignyemb played over 300 matches for ‘Phunya Sele Sele’ since signing for the club in 2008. They insist that he was fired due to an attitude problem, while the player argues that he was made an example of due to standing up for his teammates in a wrangle over payments.

"As a captain I have to protect my team. The players decided to strike because the club owed us outstanding bonuses but I convinced them to train," he explained.

"We were able to get R10,000 (US$700) and the club had promised to pay R15000 (US$1,050) later.

"We held talks with club officials and everything was getting back to normal until the players were threatened with pay cuts and contract terminations if they didn't train.

"I told the club's CEO that if things weren't settled as agreed, we wouldn't train or play our last league game. Barely an hour later, my contract was cancelled.

"I have served this club for 11 years. I was also the captain. It's shocking to see this happen. I feel disrespected but I have no regrets because I was doing the right thing for my mates."