By Michael Madyira
Concerns have been raised about heritage being placed on the auction block due to the sale of Premier Soccer League statuses of traditional clubs.
Moroka Swallows have become the latest club whose top-flight league status has been purchased.
They were bought by Marumo Gallants who, interestingly, in 2021 acquired former PSL Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila before being relegated to the National First Division.
Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila are no longer in professional football circles and had in 2020 purchased the status of Bidvest Wits who had been in existence for 99 years.
Also in recent years, Bloemfontein Celtic was acquired by Royal AM who in their short space in the PSL have seen them having run-ins with Fifa among other controversies.
Former Swallows winger Ryan Botha believes it’s a cash-over-culture scenario that is erasing the legacy of traditional clubs.
“They buy a football club like Bloemfontein Celtic, lose a beautiful tradition and then relocate a club,” Botha told Scrolla.Africa.
“You are taking a club to a different territory with no fan base. It’s just a sad story overall. Guys are buying clubs trying to make a quick buck, thinking there is so much money in the game.
“All you are doing is getting massive giants diluted and in the end, not being around, not being available for the public.
“Moroka Swallows is a sad story. When I played for them, they had a beautiful tradition.
“Bloem Celtic, a beautiful club with so much tradition with an incredible fan base and now they are lost to the people.”
Botha believes there should be a rule book to protect the tradition of clubs.
“There should be tighter rules and regulations with regards to who is buying the club,” he added.
“Do they have a team or people around them to manage the finances of the club?
“Do they have enough personal finances to control and manage salaries for a minimum of five years?
“So, for me, there should be tighter rules and regulations about who is purchasing the club, what their personal finances look like, what are the reasons for the purchase and who is the team around managing them, who knows football dynamics in South Africa.”
After buying Soweto side Swallows, Gallants will now be based in Bloemfontein after some years in Limpopo.
Pictured above: Moroka Swallows players taking to the pitch
Image source: Moroka Swallows
