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Defaulters Dent Image Of The Beautiful Game!
Owning a professional football club appears to be a glamourous gesture and a money-making business, and many businesspeople cannot resist to get involved whenever an opportunity presents itself to buy a status.
However, although the intentions might be good as some men and women who get involved in the sport are keen to develop their communities and to improve the lives of the disadvantaged, not everyone can have the know-how of running a successful club, especially on a short-term basis.
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More especially for the beginners, running such a multi-million rand project can be a daunting task, which explains why some clubs have struggled.
TS Galaxy has become the latest club in the DStv Premiership to have struggled financially, with reports of unpaid salaries coming out of their camp frequently.
Overseas trip and unpaid salaries on return
During this year's FIFA World Cup break, TS Galaxy embarked on an unexpected trip to Turkey where the players were exposed to some different ways of doing things at international stage, while the team also played highly competitive friendly matches against some top teams.
Good intentions by club president Tim Sukazi and a good gesture from everyone who was involved in organizing the trip.
However, reports of unpaid salaries from Galaxy's camp were soon to follow and have since overshadowed what could have been a good story to tell about the trip and its benefits.
Several sources from Galaxy have confirmed that all is not well in camp due to unpaid salaries for some players and staff members.
A video of a meeting between the players, technical team and some members of the support staff at the Rockets was recently leaked where the issue of unpaid salaries was on the agenda.
Some of the senior players resorted to suggesting that contributing from their own pockets to assist those who have not been paid would help for the time being so that they can be able to fill up their car tanks to come to training and be able to pay for their other basic needs.
During his time as the Safpu Deputy General Secretary, Calvin Motloung, had been critical about the issue of unpaid salaries by some clubs and has always discouraged it.
"The TS Galaxy issue is a very disturbing one. It cannot be right for any professional club to treat their own players like amateurs. It is as if these clubs don't have an agreement in place with the players and it is discouraging. These are professional players and they have contracts. Remember that some of these clubs decide on the salary they want to pay the players without the players having a say on those decisions but they still default on paying even that," said Maotloung.
Concerns over several unpaid members!
Experienced defender Vuyo Mere is one of the players affected, as the club has appeared to have prioritized paying only the players who have been playing regularly whenever there has been financial problems.
The other affected players include Ebrahim Seedat, Masilake Phohlongo, Nkosikhona Radebe, Wensten van der Linde, Mike Sebelebele and Lebone Seema, as well as technical team members Ncwadi Saki (video analyst), Phumzile Mathebula (masseur), Hloni Tekane (physical trainer), Phuphu Mohlaba (assistant coach), Linathi Mbini (physiotherapist) and Nkanyiso Cele (kit manager).
The club chairman is said to have promised to be working on raising funds as soon to be able to pay all the monies owed to the staff.
The Good
From day one, since his involvement as the club owner, having switched from being an agent, Sukazi has been clear about his vision of wanting to make the club successful.
In 2019, Sukazi's leadership was there to see when he led the then second tier outfit to winning their first major trophy with the Nedbank Cup after beating Kaizer Chiefs in the final.
"It was a good thing when TS Galaxy took the players to Turkey for a mid-season camp and I can imagine that motivated the players and everyone at the club. I would imagine it also motivated the other clubs as well. It was a good thing for the country to say Swallows FC can do it if Galaxy can do it. I think the club president should address the players and apologies to move on," Motlaung said.
The Bad
Some would argue that the club's rise to the elite league was too soon after Sukazi bought the status of Highlands Park in 2020.
Perhaps, had the club boss taken some time in the second tier to compete for promotion while learning the ropes, he would have gathered the much-needed experience on owning a club at professional level.
The Ugly
Professional footballers having to rely on teammates' contributions to make the ends meet must be one of the lowest points one can experience in the history of local football.
The issue of unpaid salaries at the club has since been brought to the attention of the South African Football Players Union (Safpu) and if it doesn't get the attention it deserves from the club, it could get ugly.
In recent seasons, some PSL clubs have been taken to as far as FIFA for money-related grievances and transfer bans have been issued from the world's football governing body.
Bloemfontein Celtic, Chippa United and Swallows FC are some of the clubs to have been on the receiving end of FIFA's wrath.
"Players must be treated as employees and unfortunately that doesn't always happen in the PSL at all the clubs. It is as if clubs are doing favour for the players. If they (Galaxy) treated their players like employees, they would have called them and sat around the table with them in the same way they did when they were entering into contractual agreements with them. The same respect you give to (Bernard) Parker and 'Salter' when you want them to join your club should be the same respect applied when problems arise," Motloung concluded.
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Not all is messy!
For a club as relatively new as Galaxy, the last thing Sukazi wants is to be making headlines for the wrong reasons. His hands-on approach needs to be commended in terms of presence and motivating the team on what happens on the field, and it would be good if that could be complemented with honouring the contracts of employees to always keep the spirits high.
Should Galaxy consider selling?
While some may suggest that the best thing to do for the owner would be to sell the club, others may feel that with time and acquiring sponsorships, Sukazi would become one of the best chairmen in the league.
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