‘Keep Sharks scrum on field’
“ALL we care about is the game. Just make sure it happens on the field.”
That was the response from chairman of the Sharks Supporters’ Club, George Laas, last night, after yesterday’s very public slanging match between former Sharks chief executive Brian Van Zyl and current Sharks boss John Smit.
“We just want to make sure it happens on the field, and that rugby remains sustainable. The Sharks is such a wonderful brand – fans don’t need these internal politics. Supporters are still following Super Rugby, and it’s so nice to see home-grown players such as the Du Preez brothers coming into the game.
“We need to look at the bigger picture. There is some great upand-coming talent in the Sharks.”
The heated exchange started yesterday morning, when Van Zyl let rip with a torrent of accusations against Smit, KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union president Graham Mackenzie and the Sharks board in an open letter to The Independent on Saturday’s sister newspaper, The Mercury, saying they had plunged the financially sound franchise into a situation “approximating insolvency”.
Van Zyl said that in his last executive year, up until December 2012, “The Sharks posted a profit of R14 million before dividends were paid”. These figures were corroborated by audit reports.
But during 2013 and 2014 the franchise suffered “an accumulated deficit of more than R40 million”, and he suspected “a loss of another R20 million has been incurred since”, asking why the financials had not been approved for last year.
He was looking forward to the publication of the financials this year. Describing Smit as “naive in business, with no administrative record”, Van Zyl also questioned the appointment of Smith to the position of chief executive, saying the correct appointment process was not followed, and that he had been told it had been an “oversight” that he had neither been advised of nor involved in the decision.
With regard to the recent proposed move to Moses Mabhida Stadium, Van Zyl said that during his time as chief executive such a move was considered not to be financially viable.
But in a stinging response later yesterday, The Sharks and KZNRU president Graham Mackenzie slammed Van Zyl’s open letter as a “personal vendetta”, calling his accusations “a bitter and unjustified attack on John Smit”.
Saying Smit had substantially increased revenue for the Durban franchise in his three years at the helm, while “bravely clearing the spider’s web that he inherited”, Mackenzie denied the Sharks were in murky financial waters.
Smit has recently resigned from his position as chief executive and will leave at the end of this year’s rugby season.
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SHARKS fans can be forgiven for being anxious about the financial health of the franchise after the latest slanging match between former chief executive Brian van Zyl and current bosses John Smit and KZN rugby union president Graham Mckenzie.
In an open letter published in The Mercury, Van Zyl yesterday claimed the Sharks incurred huge debts since his departure three years ago and he laid the blame at the door of Smit, Mckenzie and the current board. He also said Smit was too financially inexperienced to be the chief executive of the franchise
Reacting, the Sharks accused Van Zyl of having a personal vendetta and said the franchise is not financially unstable. Instead Smit has increased commercial revenue and in a dig at Van Zyl, he is praised for “bravely clearing the spider’s web that he inherited”. But The Sharks admit all provincial unions face significant financial challenges and in Durban these problems pre-date the arrival of Smit.
Sharks fans deserve to know the truth. Is the franchise in financial trouble, and if so, why has this happened and how can it be fixed. Is this the reason behind the move from Kings Park to Moses Mabhida stadium.
Super Rugby franchises, like teams in other sporting codes, play in stadiums that are half full. Televison is putting attendance at sporting events at risk. As a contest many fans say Super Rugby has gone stale and is confusing.
South African fans complain about watching the same local teams batter each other in slugfests that drag on into the Currie Cup. Some say a link between South Africa and European rugby would make more sense in terms of time zones and financial incentives.
But back to The Sharks. The fans deserve better then the unedifying spectacle of ego-driven individuals mauling each other while the game suffers. Fans want to get behind a talented team that can play entertaining and winning rugby. This is how the franchise will prosper.