NKARENG MATSHE | PSL can no longer hide from Royal circus

A Bloemfontein Celtic supporter related to me how news of the implosion of Royal AM this week has filled him with joy.

As much as he commiserates with the staff who are awaiting their December salaries from the troubled club, the said supporter reckons Royal’s travails – which have seen them put under curatorship over club boss Shauwn Mkhize’s messy tax affairs – are some sort of “karma” for how the KwaZulu-Natal side became a Premiership side at Celtic’s expense.

The 2021/22 season was already under way when, suddenly, Celtic players were told to change base, uproot everything and head to Durban after Phunya Sele Sele were sold to MaMkhize who up to that point had had a long-running dispute with the PSL over promotion.

Royal had lost several cases in their contention that they – and not Sekhukhune United – were the rightful winners of the national first division and therefore deserved automatic promotion. They were severely beaten in the boardroom and ended up heading to the courts, where they also suffered defeat. Somehow, they eventually won when they mysteriously acquired Celtic’s status.

The Free State side – it must be pointed out – also had troubles of their own with creditors circling almost every month end inquiring about unsettled debts. For sale signs had long been up and players frequently downed tools in protest.

When multimillionaire MaMkhize came on board, it seemed a blessing in disguise for long-suffering Celtic players and staff who, despite having to literally pack overnight and change location promptly, were grateful their days of waiting beyond pay day for salaries were over.

It all seemed rosy and there was a rapid change in players getting their dues – even match bonuses paid mid-pitch in cash. It was a dream come true. That dream has, however, turned into a nightmare not only for Royal staff and players, but now also for the PSL.

From being slapped with a transfer ban in 2023, Royal have attracted headlines which have impugned the image of the league to the point that their stunt of paying cash bonuses four years ago seems like a forgivable picnic.

Sars taking over an entire PSL club is certainly a first in recent memory. Even Moroka Swallows, who endured boardroom turmoil and poor leadership throughout their existence, did not reach this level of crisis, where a bank account is attached by the national tax revenue collector.

Such is the peculiarity of this case that the PSL has no provision in its rules to deal with it. But it can’t be swept under the carpet forever. The signs have been there for some time, when the PSL announced last year Royal would no longer be involved in the reserve league as they couldn’t sign more players. Can the league afford to postpone more of their games? It’s unsustainable. A final solution is required to ensure the league’s image, and that of its sponsors, doesn’t suffer irreparable damage.

Perhaps a new investor – not another chancer – could rescue the situation but the dilemma the PSL faces is that we are mid-season.

The reality is that the PSL may not have dug deep enough when it allowed MaMkhize to acquire Celtic. There was no due diligence done, to use popular parlance. Even worse, the clownery – from those bizarre on-field payments to an entourage blasting loud music inside a stadium using a mobile speak at the peak of Covid-19, to Andile Mpisane masquerading as a footballer – continued at the behest of the PSL.

As that Celtic supporter told me, the chickens have now come home to roost.

SowetanLIVE