After being sidelined by Kaba Diawara for the Syli's two friendlies against Guinea-Bissau and Gabon on October 13 and 17, 2023, the Guinean international finds himself at the heart of a controversy. The player from Arouca (D1 Portugal) has been accused of unilateral breach of contract by his agency SPOCS Consulting. The claim is for almost 500,000 euros.
The troubles are definitely piling up for Morlaye Sylla. While his absence from Kaba Diawara's squad is fuelling debate in Guinean sporting circles, the Guinean international finds himself at the heart of a controversy. After leaving Horoya AC freely during the 2022 off-season, the player signed up with SPOCS Consulting. Morlaye Sylla has now moved to Arouca (D1 Portugal). The start of a new adventure for the Guinean prodigy. The good news kept piling up until the first pennies began to fall.
"When the money arrived, Morlaye Sylla and his family rebelled"
"The first agreement signed between the player and us was not respected," begins Mamadou Diallo, CEO of VISMA and representative of SPOCS consulting. According to the agency's representative, the trouble began when Morlaye Sylla received a cheque for 40,000 euros as a signing bonus, accompanied by a salary for the next three seasons amounting to 195,000 euros.
The Guinean international allegedly failed to comply with the terms of the contract, which required payment of a 10% commission to the SPOCS representative, the first instalment of which amounted to 20,000 euros. "When the money fell through, Morlaye Sylla and his family rebelled. They refused to pay our commission of 23,000 euros. To our surprise, Morlaye Sylla sent 6,000 euros instead of the 20,000 euros agreed for the first instalment." He continues: "this one said we were to receive 50% of the signing bonus.We decided to let it go. Then, of the annual amount we were to receive on the 10% of the contract (i.e. $24,300 over 3 years), this money was not paid to us either".
A few months later, things didn't go as planned. The collaboration took quite a beating.Morlaye Sylla gleaned playing time to the point of becoming a regular fixture at the club. But on the outside, worries were piling up.And tensions are running high.The SPOCS representative in Guinea is accusing the player and his entourage of unilateral breach of contract and failure to respect commitments."The 2-year contract signed between us simply has to be respected, and this contract is not yet finished. We want them to respect the content of our commitment, which unfortunately has been violated.We have all the relevant documents.
Morlaye Sylla's entourage straight in its boots
The signing of a contract by Morlaye Sylla and a new structure was the last straw. The agency accused the Guinean international of a unilateral breach of contract, and accused him of signing up with ONE SOCCER AGENCY, which will now be in charge of managing his career. According to the representative of SPOCS Consulting and CEO of VISMA (Valex Industry Sport Management), this is a violation of the contract that binds them: "While we tried to get in touch with Morlaye to respect the contract, to our great astonishment, we see that the player has recently signed a contract with another agency", denounces Mamadou Diallo.
The player's entourage remains unperturbed. The player's brother accuses the SPOCS representative of not respecting his commitments."He made a commitment to send the player's younger brother to Europe, and he didn't do it. He promised that Arouca would be a springboard for Morlaye, but that hasn't been the case," Tidiane Sylla accused our Espace TV colleagues.
"The lawyers will do him a lot of harm, and he risks ruining his career"
Faced with a situation that has become toxic between the various parties, Mamadou Diallo CEO of VISMA announces that he has taken legal action against Morlaye Sylla for unilateral breach of contract with their partner SPOCS."We are asking for $500,000 (471,000 euros) in damages for unilateral breach of contract.He continues:"We have the best lawyers in the world. We have taken steps with our counsel. We don't want to damage the player's career. If those around him don't come to their senses, the lawyers will do him a lot of harm and he risks ruining his career," warns Mamadou Diallo.
Morlaye Sylla, who did not fully fit into Kaba Diawara's plans and was not selected by the coach for the Syli squad just a few months ahead of the African Cup of Nations, is now unsettled. It remains to be seen what the outcome of this tug-of-war will be, as it threatens to ruin a career that is struggling to get off the ground.
