Da Gama has been accused of demanding his players pay him or else he would not select them to play in the teams’ games. The BBC reports the South African Premier League club ordered da Gama to take a leave of absence as it investigates the accusations.
“Platinum Stars would like to announce that following troubling allegations in the media surrounding the head coach, Owen da Gama, the club felt that it has become necessary to conduct a formal investigation into the matter,” a club statement said.
“An independent team will be appointed to look into the issues and will call upon witnesses, including Da Gama himself, to provide information that will assist in making recommendations to the board.”
The allegations surfaced in Johannesburg’s Sunday World two weeks ago. Anonymous players told the South African tabloid about da Gama’s alleged “pay to play” scheme. He denies the allegations and filed a lawsuit against the newspaper.
Da Gama guided the Stars to the 2006 South African League Cup title, before leaving to take the reins at Orlando Pirates in 2007. He returned to the club in 2010, but the team has struggled in his second time around.
Platinum Stars have named Cavin Johnson and Allan Freeze as interim joint coaches as the club battles relegation.
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