European club set to sell South African duo after being relegated

The Portuguese-based duo of Thibang Phete and Sphephelo Sithole are both on the market following Belenenses’ relegation from the Primeira Liga.

Belenenses SAD look set to embark on a clearout in the coming weeks after the club suffered relegation from the Portuguese Primeira Liga.



Bafana Bafana defender Thibang Phete is one of those who are expected to leave when his contract expires next month with local publication A Bola reporting that he has not been offered an option to renew by the club.

The 28-year-old has been one of Belenenses’ star players in recent seasons and featured in 72 appearances across all competitions since joining the club in 2020.

A separate report from the same publication claims that Phete’s countryman Sphephelo Sithole, known as Yaya Sithole, is another of the players who have been earmarked to make an exit.

The 23-year-old midfielder has reportedly been placed on the transfer market by Belenenses in an attempt to raise funds and is said to be attracting interest from parties in France and the English Championship.

Per Record, however, a potential move away has been complicated by the fact that Sithole has not yet obtained Portuguese citizenship, despite spending the last five years in the country. 

The highly-rated midfielder immigrated to Portugal in 2017 when he joined the academy of Sporting Lisbon before moving to Vitória Setúbal a year later.

From there, he transferred to Belenenses where he made his professional debut in 2020.