Royal AM chairman Andile Mpisane, who is also a registered midfielder for the club, has made two surprising starts in the team's Premiership campaign this season.
The decision to start the 23-year-old chairman has sparked mixed reactions within the team, with some insiders suggesting that not everyone is pleased with Mpisane being given the priority to start.
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Sources indicate that there is concern among some team members that other players, who might have had a greater impact from the start, were left on the bench to accommodate the chairman.
"Sometimes the coach has no choice but to use what he has. The team has let some players go even when they knew they couldn't sign new players, and that's why the Chairman (Andile Mpisane) has to play and even start games. It's not out of choice but desperation. At times, the technical team has no other options due to the situation. You use what you have," a source revealed to the Siya crew.
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It is understood that Mpisane's fitness has improved now that he is training with the team, making it more feasible for him to play at least 45 minutes.
"It's good for him to start so that if things are not going well for the team, they can take him out and bring in someone who can change the game rather than bringing him in as a substitute. It will be difficult for him to change the game. So for now, with the training that he has been doing with the team, it's not bad to start the game. After all, he is registered as a player, and the team at the moment cannot register new players," the source added.
Efforts were made by Soccer Laduma to get a comment from Royal AM General Manager Richard Makhoba, but there was no response at the time of publishing.
