Motsepe League clubs in cash crunch

Eastern Cape regional ABC Motsepe League soccer club owners are drowning in debt and on the verge of selling their teams’ status due to not receiving their annual Safa transport grant of R30,000 for the past year.

Now just 11 matches into the new season, clubs fear that when the first leg ends in January they might also not get the first payment for this season.

The R30,000 grant is divided into two payments of R15,000 – one after the first leg of the season and the second payment at the end of the season.

The Herald spoke to four clubs in the ABC League who said that no payment has been made to them since the 20162017 season.

Swartkops Valley United Brothers chair Bongo Zondani says he is heavily in debt.

“We have not received travelling grant since last Zondani said.

“Normally when we finish the first leg we receive the first R15,000 and when we finish the second round we get paid another R15,000. Both those payments were not paid last season.

“I am currently deep in debt right now because of the club,” he said. “Besides petrol, players also need to be fed, and feeding players bread and polony all the time is not right.

“If you travel from PE to Bizana you cough up about R14,000 for transport, R13,000 for accommodation and you our season, must also feed the players.

“The Safa grant is not even enough.”

Despite the difficulties Zondani said his team honoured all their fixtures last season.

Butterworth chair, Banzi Siyonjwana felt the same.

“I am disappointed because a lot of club owners are selling their clubs simply because of the treatment we are getting from Safa,” he said.

“We are playing for literally nothing. Instead we are ruining our families, because you put in a lot of money in the club.”

Brendan Bosman, chief operations officer at Sibanye, said if it wasn’t for their corporate sponsor, Sibanye Electrical, he didn’t know how they would have survived in the league.

“It’s extremely difficult for the clubs to function within the ABC League given the level of expenditure that the teams have to cough up,” said Bosman.

Safa head of competitions, Thomas Sadiki blamed the row between Safa and the SABC.

“It was indicated that our cash-flow around the issues of SABC was the cause (for nonpayment), but we are going to send communication to the clubs to update them what is happening,” said Sadiki.

He said they would indicate “when they will receive their outstanding money from last season and when they’ll receive the first payment for this season”.

Asked when would the money be paid out Sadiki terminated the call.

Besides petrol, players also need to be fed, and feeding players bread and polony all the time is not right