Wantaway star Jefte has been forced into an APOEL apology after attempting to force a move to Rangers by going AWOL as he addressed the situation for the first time.
The 20-year-old was closing in on a move to the Scottish Premiership from Fluminense – but the Cypriot league leaders refusing to break their loan agreement midway through the campaign without a payout from the Brazilian side. It left the two sides in a stalemate – and left Rangers unable to get the deal over the line before the January window slammed shut.
The left-back attempted to force the move by skipping training – but has not returned to the first-team picture after reportedly hit with a hefty fine and being dropped by boss Ricardo Sa Pinto for the 4-1 rout of Karmiotissa on deadline day. Fans were also furious with his actions as he missed two key fixtures – while also wiping any mention of the club from his social media.
With doubts over the long-term future of Ridvan Yilmaz and Borna Barisic at Ibrox, Jefte is still expected to make his move to Ibrox at the end of the campaign. But he has issued an apology to those involved at APOEL – while notably refusing to set his targets with the club beyond the end of the current campaign as he explained his decision.
Writing to his Instagram page, the defender said: “To all APOEL fans, my teammates, the coach, the president and the entire club staff, I would like to communicate my apology for being absent. At the time of the incident, I was not feeling in a position to help the club and I chose to leave.
The institution deserves all my commitment, dedication and focus, as it has been in the last few months, and as it will be from now on. We remain stronger than ever and are now 100% focused on the main objective of winning the championship.”
