Platinum Stars fade away

The dying embers of Platinum Stars Football Club as we know it have almost been extinguished with the relegated team’s move from North West province to Cape Town due to be announced in the coming weeks.

The National First Division club will be rebranded as Cape Umoya United, bringing to an end professional football representation in North West‚ with no team in either top two divisions of South African football.

Since a consortium led by coach Roger de Sa bought the status of Stars earlier in 2018‚ a move away from the province has been mooted.

De Sa is known to have preferred Cape Town or Stellenbosch. But with Stellenbosch FC staying put for next season after whispers of a sale‚ the winelands town would struggle to host two professional teams.

It would potentially bring the number of Western Cape clubs in the National First Division next season to four, with Ajax Cape Town (if their fight to hold on to their top-flight status is unsuccessful)‚ Stellenbosch FC and Ubuntu Cape Town.

Second-tier teams from the Mother City have been selling their status in recent seasons.

Cape Town All Stars sold and relocated to Mpumalanga. Milano United sold their status to form Limpopo-based Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila. FC Cape Town changed hands and are now called Ubuntu Cape Town.