Shabby sale of Wits leaves a bitter taste

The way the sale of Bidvest Wits was handled leaves a lot to be desired and brings into question the ability of our football administrators to do things properly and professionally. There are a lot of things that don’t sit well with me.

I must clearly state that I have no qualms about Wits being sold and I am happy to have new people in our football but their introduction has been worrisome. It would be unfair to expect the people from Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) to shoulder any of the blame for the mess that the sale became.

It was whoever handled it for Wits that failed to do things in a respectable and professional manner. Yes, Tshakhuma people did make it difficult when they made public pronouncements on the impending sale, but it was just the excitement on their side. It is very difficult to sit on some good news that excites you.

The players and staff at Wits were the casualties of the ineptness of their management. They could have been informed in time that there is a possibility that the club will sell its status. They could have have been prepared better for the possible loss of jobs. But for them to hear through the media was totally wrong. And I hope they will at least be properly compensated.

I don’t see many of them – if any at all – making the trek to Thohoyandou where the club will now be based. The new owners have already said they will be unable to keep coach Gavin Hunt because of the high salary he is on. But I wonder if they even sat down with him to find out if he was keen to retain his position and if moving to Venda and taking a salary cut is something he would consider. My guess is no, that consultation process never happened.

Players and staff have families in Jozi and in so much as a job is just as important as family these days, they have to make considerations for their loved ones before accepting offers to move to semi-rural Venda in Limpopo.

And that is not something you think about in a matter of days, you need time to consider every option before deciding if you will or will not move with the club.

I just don’t get why the club would have given a player like Thulani Hlatshwayo a four-year extension to his contract when they were already in talks to sell their status. My guess would be that it was because of a lack of communication between the bosses and managers who ran the club on a daily basis.

Add to that the fact that the new owners are almost new to football and there are no guarantees that they will be able to sustain the club.

Can they even afford to keep Hlatswayo or will they sell him to the highest bidder to make some money? I am now waiting on the Premier Soccer League’s response. It looks like they will be forced to approve it which makes them no different to the person who sits at the Post Office and rubber stamps letters all day.