It is that time of the year again where what has become a norm in South African football, with regards to exchange of club ownership, is in full swing.
With Black Leopards having already confirmed, after being relegated this past season that they have bought the Motsepe Foundation Championship status of All Stars to return, speculation is rife about other clubs reportedly also looking to sell, both in the second tier and the DStv Premiership.
Richards Bay FC are reportedly willing to sell for around R60 million provided that the potential buyer would be able to offer a second tier status as part of the deal before the start of the season.
Relegated Marumo Gallants and Maritzburg United, as well as the family of former AmaZulu FC boss Dr Patrick Sokhela, are reportedly keen to buy although the +/-R60 million price tag does seem to be scaring them and other potential buyers off.
Meanwhile, another KwaZulu-Natal side Uthongathi FC from the second tier has reportedly been sold to the owners of ABC Motsepe League outfit Milford FC, with all those involved hoping to finalise things to do with all the necessary paperwork ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Over the years, the selling and buying of clubs in the PSL has created confusion and is often criticised by the communities and fans, while at times players get affected due to contractual matters and non-payment of monies owed to them.
Experienced football administrator Gordon Masondo discusses the pros and cons of this growing trend.
The Good
"Football does give opportunities for those involved to be recognised for the benefit of their other business interests, but the football business itself is not for making profit. People get to know you and then it becomes easier for you to approach people for doing business elsewhere. But if you are 99% focused on running a football club as a money-making business, you will never last. It is nice to have people investing in football but it should be a well thought out decision. With football, you need to know your story in order to get involved, even if you come with your own money to invest in the business," said Masondo.
The Bad
"I don't think we should blame anyone who is opting out of the football business if he or she can see that things are not working out, especially if that is caused by the financial side of things. You can't force anyone to continue because that would affect other people within the club, and I am talking about the employees. If you try and hold onto something while knowing that you don't have anything to fall back on and just hoping that something will come up, if that doesn't happen then it damages your reputation. Also, it brings the industry into disrepute, and it affects the livelihoods of the people who work for you. For example, there are preparation fees that get collected from the league by clubs, and once you collect yours it means that you confirm your readiness for the season. Once you have collected that, you can't then go back to say you are not ready because that would be unfair. But it is always wise to let go while everything is still okay. The employees do not have to realise before time that things are not okay because the situation can go from bad to worse within no time. Yes, the communities from where the club is based will not be happy when it is being sold because it had been opening business opportunities and so on for them but that doesn't mean that the owner should be blamed when he or she decides to sell," he added.
The Ugly
"If you are having sleepless nights because the club isn't financially stable, you need to make a decision. You cannot put yourself in a predicament when you can see that something is not going to work unless you want to bring the league into disrepute because you will have cases of unpaid salaries and the union (South African Football Players Union) will be on your case. The union will be doing the right thing by fighting for the employees' rights but for you it will be seen as tarnishing the image of the PSL," added Masondo.
"Proper vetting has got to be done"
"We need to be careful as to how we look at this. I know when Mpumalanga Black Aces (where he was an office and communications manager) was sold, a whole lot of things were said by the communities from around the area. But those people didn't know the situation we were facing at the club at the time. These clubs are not getting sponsors because it is not easy to acquire sponsorships these days. Gone are the days when sponsors would look at the club's following and agree to sponsor the team. Proper vetting has got to be done before anyone can be allowed to join the league as a club owner. If the person is running other businesses, he or she needs to disclose what type of businesses are there under him or her. Details of how much money those businesses make during a certain period need to be disclosed. Details of how much he or she has at the bank need to be known for a decision to made on whether they qualify to sustain a club after paying for the club's topflight status. People mustn't promise about tenders to run clubs because that cannot work. Lastly, I think I have said this before and I am saying it again, you cannot give the PSL CEO position to someone who is not familiar with the league. It is very important for people that get involved to be those who understand the South African football business like things currently are," concluded Masondo.
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