Earlier this week, we told you the good news about Deon Mcauley. Belize's premier striker had signed a contract with the Atlanta Silverbacks, a second division professional football team in the US. But, he might not get to play there after all. And that's because his team in Belize, the Belmopan Bandits don't want to release him - not without getting paid, that is. We contacted McAuley at his hotel in Atlanta today and he told us the Bandits want $10,000 US for his release:..
Jules Vasquez
"How much is the Bandits asking for, for your release?"
Deon McAuley, striker
"Well, right now they are asking for US$10,000 - that is where we stand with that. But now the situation is that they want to put me on loan to this team and the thing is about it I sign my contract with Bandits in March of last year, so now the season had already started about 3 weeks and now they are showing me a contract that says June 29th - that has to be a bogus contract. I should be release at the end of February. This is nothing new to the managers and owners of the Bandits. Nobody is not making money off of this deal; even I am not making any money off this deal. But they feel like they invested so much in me that I suppose to give them the opportunity to negotiate for me and say we want this amount of your money. At the end of the day I might end up right back in Belize - this is where these people wants to see me - in Belize with them because it looks like it is hurting them that I am out here and they feel like I am making the world of money or something that they can't give me what I am asking them for."
Jules Vasquez
"How do you see this playing out in the next few days?"
Deon McAuley, striker
"I don't know. It looks like Bandits is sticking to what they feel is right, so at the end of the day I don't know how to say that it will play out. The thing is about everything is that I don't want to mess up the opportunity that I have because of a club in Belize that can't offer me nothing. All my like I've been growing up and nobody have really taken interest in me. Now this is the first time that I really get a move and then they are trying to hold me back, so I'll leave that to God."
"I've been playing football all my life and to get an opportunity like this is one in a lifetime. They barely look for players from Belize and now that a player is out here and trying to get everything situated and trying to make Belize on a whole look good in the football world, but the thing is about is that I have put Belize on the map countless times and these people are trying to take that away from me. I really feel that I am being punk because of money and somebody else's selfish greed."
The owner of the Bandits Club, John Saldivar for comment did not respond to our requests for comment.
The Silverbacks pre-season starts tomorrow and the regular season starts in early April.
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