Royal AM's salary disclosure: FUSA concerned MaMkhize made players 'a laughing stock”

The Footballers Union of South Africa (FUSA) has slammed Royal AM boss Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize for revealing the club’s players’ salaries.

Mkhize revealed her players' salaries in the latest effort to overturn their expulsion from the Premier Soccer League (PSL), after South African Revenue Service (SARS) had put the club under curatorship because of an outstanding R40 million tax bill.

The non-payment of salaries and financial sustainability of the club were some of the arguments used by the PSL when they eventually expelled the club after the SARS curator failed to find a buyer for the club

In an urgent court order in the Joburg High Court to declare the expulsion unlawful, the KwaZulu-Natal businesswoman attached proof of payment of the players’ income, with the word “salary” reflecting as a reference on each and every transaction, which gives the amount of money the players were earning at the club.

All these players were paid on February 14 this year and Mkhize asked the court to hear the case on May 20, just before the conclusion of the league season.

"As FUSA, we believe it is not appropriate to expose players' salaries in this manner. This is especially concerning when some of those players are unemployed and actively seeking jobs," FUSA’s Taelo Motloung told Kickoff.

"By disclosing their salaries, she risks scaring away other clubs from signing them. Clubs may assume they cannot afford such salaries, which compounds the issue.

"As a club owner, such actions are unacceptable, unless there is a minimum wage regulation in our football. If that were the case, what she did would not be a problem. However, the manner in which she did it suggests her intent was to deter other clubs and potential suitors, or to publicly expose the players.

"While FUSA advocates for transparency and fair treatment of our members, we understand that players may feel embarrassed by this revelation, though not to the extent of seeking counseling. In overseas leagues, players' salaries are not kept secret, and since they are public figures, people should be aware of what professionalism in football entails," he adds.

According to the papers, veteran defender Thabo Matlaba was Royal AM’s highest-paid player, taking home R121,000. A player known as Mnguni S was the lowest-paid player with a net pay of R2,000.

In terms of the law, as of March 1, 2024, the minimum wage in South Africa is R27.58 per hour, or R4,779.38 per month for a 40-hour work week.

However, there is no prescribed minimum wage agreement for professional footballers in the Betway Premiership and the second-tier ABC Motsepe League.

Motloung says Mkhize has made her players “a laughing stock” after revealing their salaries.

"This is the kind of information that should be exposed. It would not be inappropriate to disclose players' salaries if we had a minimum wage in this country,” he said.

“For instance, if the Motsepe Foundation Championship had a minimum wage of R20 000 or R30 000, and the PSL had a minimum wage of R50,000, we wouldn't criticise MaMkhize's actions.

"But because there is no minimum wage, players are made to look foolish in the eyes of jealous neighbours and relatives, who might say: 'Look, these people are bragging about their sons who only earn R5 000 a month.'"

"In this case, I believe it should be the player who reveals their salary, not the chairman. MaMkhize has made her players a laughing stock. What has she accomplished by doing this?"

@JohnGoliath82