Spare a thought for those unsung chairmen
It is obviously nice to have people like Patrice Motsepe in our football. People who have the money and give our players the kind of money which lets them live comfortable lives and drive the best cars. It makes young players aspire to play for his team so they can also make a good wage with their talents.
There are so many lives Motsepe has changed in the time he has been in the game. Look at how the semi-professional league, the ABC Motsepe League, looks now. Teams in that division are now serious and some have become professional in how they are run.
That is all because of the prize money Motsepe has put up for the eventual winners of this division. Every team competes to win and wants to attract the best available talents.
But there are also people like David Thidiela of Black Leopards. People who have given a platform to so many players who have since gone on to earn good money elsewhere and became celebrated stars.
I spoke to Thidiela this week and he could not explain his excitement, telling me I should guess how he felt after his team were promoted to the elite league.
He admitted that running a club is very challenging because the grant they get from the PSL hardly covers the running costs and many a time he has had to dig into his own pocket to keep Lidoda Duvha alive. He has been running Leopards as chairman since 1996 and he said he doesn’t even want to think how much money
Sibongiseni Gumbi
he has spent on the club since then. I guess it is because it must run into millions of rands.
PSL chairman Irvin Khoza said this week that club owners are doing God’s work because they hardly get any benefit from it.
Thidiela agreed: “Owning a club is a calling, it is not a very wise business decision. If you think you can make money from owning a club, you might find yourself deep in trouble. It is a calling more than anything else. If you are in it for money, you will quickly be disappointed and leave the game, never looking back.”
There are many like Thidiela. There are Farouk Kadodia, Jomo Sono, Goolam Allie, John Comitis, Kurishi Mphahlele, Chippa Mpengesi and many others who have this calling and are spending their own money to run clubs.
There are also the likes of Pat Malabela, Phindani Nene, Nathi Maphumulo, Sturu Pasiya, Chicco Lazarus, Ria Ledwaba and many more who sacrificed so much of their own money and had to opt out when things went south. But their efforts will never be forgotten because there are people living comfortable lives because of the platform they gave them.
This is why I feel sad for Max Tshabalala. He has not come out and said it but there are serious indications that the financial burden of running the club is getting too heavy and is burning holes in his pockets.
It is just a shame that big companies are dragging their feet when it comes to sponsoring these teams, not realising how much they mean in their communities. Yes, they have little advertising revenue because their games do not attract that much in terms of TV audiences but they are a huge source when you consider corporate social investment.
Just look at the crowds Maritzburg United attracted at Harry Gwala this past season and also Black Leopards at Thohoyandou Stadium. I hope some people responsible for sponsorships at their companies get to see this.