Bloemfontein Celtic owner Max Tshabalala has said that suspended CEO Khumbulani Konco has been retrenched.

Daily Sun had reported on Tuesday that Konco has quit‚ his desk been cleared out and the announcement of this development will be made at a press conference on Wednesday.

However Tshabalala‚ reached to confirm or deny the report‚ told TimesLIVE that Konco has been retrenched from the club that has had well-documented financial troubles‚ as has its chairman‚ and been put up for sale on a few occasions in the past three to four years.

“What I know is that Khumbulani is part of the top management that we have retrenched‚” Tshabalala said.

“You know the team doesn’t have a sponsor‚ and we have retrenched some of our top management.

“We started with our junior staff about a year ago. And now we are cutting the senior staff where we feel the team can do without.

“And it’s not done because of malicious intention. It’s just that the team doesn’t have a sponsor – I’m running the team out of my pocket.

“So I am trying to cut. And you can’t cut players because you will get relegated.”

Tshabalala said the position of CEO will be filled internally‚ but could not confirm which current employee will do that.

“Not for now. We are not going to employ anybody. There is a duplication of positions internally – one coming to CEO‚ and general manager‚” he said.

“So people who have been doing the job‚ the very same people will be doing the job.”

There had been reports of a fallout‚ and a screaming match‚ between Tshabalala and Konco that led to the CEO’s suspension in February. Tshabalala said Konco’s retrenchment has no relation to that clash.

“No‚ nothing to do with it. The fallout was not even that – it was a misunderstanding‚” the Celtic chairman said.

“Because I wanted some stuff being done‚ and maybe Khumbulani wanted to do it this way. But it had nothing to do with it.”

Konco was reached on his cellphone‚ but said he could not confirm whether the reports were correct that he is quitting‚ or Tshabalala’s version that he has been retrenched.

“You are going to be receiving a [digital] link today with regards a press conference tomorrow‚” Konco said. “So all we discuss will be in the press conference tomorrow.”

Konco has served as Celtic’s CEO for a number of years‚ under various owners‚ and was in charge of the Free State team’s day-to-day running.