Agency denies mismanaging Manyonga’s financial affairs

THE Newton Sport Agency, which represented long jump star Luvo Manyonga, has described the banned athlete’s allegations of mismanaging his funds as baseless.

The agency has now instructed its attorneys to correspond with Manyonga to request that he desist from making these “false allegations” and is considering the appropriate legal action.

This was after the country’s 2017 sportsman and sport star of the year told the Cape Times that the agency dropped him in a manner that suggested he did not have potential any more.

He claimed that the company booked him into a drug rehabilitation centre without his consent where he was “treated like a prisoner”. He said the government paid for his rehabilitation in Gqeberha but the money went to Newton’s account, not to the facility’s account.

“I remember the other time when they booked a rehab for me without consulting me in Gqeberha. The security guard came to me and said he had to take me somewhere and we drove around, and I did not know where I was being taken to.

“We arrived at this beautiful house, it was then I found out that it’s a rehab. I was treated like a prisoner at that rehab. They made me feel like I am dangerous to the society and the security would not speak about anything to me,” said Manyongo.

He said the only thing the company bought for him was a BMW worth R700 000, out of the millions he had made. “When I asked (Lee Roy) Newton to invest my money in other companies he would brush the conversation off. He once had a problem with one of the athletes because they tried to expose him and he did not like that athlete.”

Newton Sports Agency founder Lee Roy Newton has denied the allegations. “Newton Sports Agency is deeply disturbed by the allegations purported by its former client Luvo Manyonga to the Cape Times. Mr Manyonga was represented by Newton Sports Agency from 2016 to 2019 and during this time we have always been transparent and upfront with all the commercial contracts we negotiated and secured on his behalf.

“These renewed allegations follow from baseless allegations first made on Twitter in November last year, almost one year after we discontinued our business relationship with Mr Manyonga.

“At the time of the Twitter allegations, we had received credible information that Mr Manyonga had come under the control of a criminal element …

“We remain deeply concerned for Mr Manyonga's personal safety as well as his emotional and psychological well-being,” said Newton.

“Throughout the time that we represented Mr Manyonga, we consistently worked with him and his family to support him through his struggles.

“Newton Sports Agency has represented professional athletes for the past 10 years and never been accused of financial impropriety.

“We are an IAAF-accredited agency and manage all our clients across the continent with professionalism and integrity.”