The debacle surrounding KwaZulu-Natal-based club Royal AM is proof that the people running the Premier Soccer League are asleep at the wheel.
Shauwn Mkhize’s club are in one hell of a mess. They owe Samir Nurkovic almost R15 million. Brazilian defender Ricardo Nascimento is owed R600 000, while MaKhize herself owes the taxman R40 million.
On top of that, they cannot sign any new players as they’ve been handed a transfer ban by global football governing body FIFA, resulting in club chairman Andile Mpisane, MaKhize’s son, playing regularly.
They are in a hole they cannot get out, yet the PSL have not taken any firm action to rectify the situation. They’ve simply buried their heads in the sand and have been hoping that everything goes away.
The NSL Handbook, which can be found online, is very clear on the tax compliance guidelines that need to be met before purchasing a professional football club that competes in PSL competitions. Despite her widely reported troubles with the South African Revenue Services dating back a decade, Mkhize’s purchase of Bloemfontein Celtic’s status back in 2021, was not challenged.
After the club failed to pay the monies owed to Nurkovic and Nascimento, the handbook states the League can involve itself and deduct from the club’s monthly grant to help settle the bills. This did not happen
The future of Shauwn Mkhize's Royal AM has been thrown into further doubt after players at the KwaZulu-Natal-based club have reportedly gone on strike over unpaid salaries.#sports #soccer #RoyalAM #crisis #playerstrike #UncertainFuture
— IOL Sport (@IOLsport) January 7, 2025
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Now, this is where we find ourselves; players are on strike over unpaid salaries and the club can't fulfil their fixture obligations. Not only that, it's also starting to affect other clubs as well. Chippa United have been inconvenienced by their game against Thwihli Thwahla being postponed.
It's a huge mess that could have been prevented if the PSL acted.
The events of the last year have shown that MaMkhize and her 23-year-old son Mpisane haven’t got an idea on how to successfully run a professional football club, where they have players’ livelihoods in their hands.
Kick them out of the league or force them to sell, the PSL should take a firm stance on the matter to prove to football-loving South Africans that they have a hand on the wheel and know what they’re doing. Right now, it doesn’t look like it, and it’s not a good look for our football.
IOL Sport