News reaching the Siya crew is that KwaZulu-Natal teams are believed to grappling with financial difficulties, with some clubs allegedly failing to pay their players at various stages.
According to reports in local media, AmaZulu, Richards Bay, Golden Arrows, and Royal AM are understood to be facing financial struggles, with sources suggesting that some of these issues have been escalated to the South African Players Union (SAPFU) for resolution.
Indications are that some teams have had to rely on monthly grants from the Premier Soccer League to meet their financial obligations. However, with the advent of new sponsorships, the financial woes are reportedly being alleviated.
"Most of the KZN teams are rumoured to have financial problems. For instance, Royal AM is said to be unable to pay Samir Nurkovic and is currently banned by FIFA. They allegedly can't sign new players, and some existing players are reportedly leaving due to delayed salaries," a source revealed to the Siya crew.
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"Richards Bay is also rumoured to have faced severe financial challenges until they secured a R100m sponsorship from Phakwe Gas, which is believed to have came just in time as they were considering selling the team."
The Siya crew understands that AmaZulu had similar issues until the club secured a sponsorship with Amandla Mobile.
"Currently, it is believed that AmaZulu, Richards Bay, and Arrows are out of financial trouble, thanks to their sponsors.
"Only Royal AM is said to be operating solely on funds from the club's owners. However, the Samir Nurkovic situation is reportedly a significant financial burden," another source informed Soccer Laduma.
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Soccer Laduma reached out to all four Premiership clubs, and although Richards Bay and Royal did not respond at the time of publishing, AmaZulu FC's Philani Ndlela expressed surprise at these reports.
"We don't know anything about this. We viewed these rumours as a joke that was trying to seek relevance using our club's name," Ndlela told the Siya crew.
Meanwhile, Arrows' media officer Comfort Thusi dismissed these reports, stating that the club has 10bet as their sponsor and does not have financial issues.
"Nope, the club is not in any financial troubles. We still have our 10Bet sponsorship," Thusi remarked.
