Motaung: the football administrator

Underrated, quiet, he’s plays a pivotal role in SA soccer

From founding his own club to being the founding member of the National Soccer League (NSL) that later became known as the PSL, Kaizer Motaung has come a long way as a football administrator.

On his return after pursuing his dream as a player and offered a stint with Atlanta Chiefs in the US, he formed his own club, Kaizer Chiefs.

Motaung cut his teeth as a football official with the old National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) founded after the merger of the “white National Football League (NFL)” and “black NPSL” football organisations in 1978.

But it was not long that a dispute among members of the NPSL executive committee raged, under the chairmanship of George Thabe.

This culminated in “big” clubs, including Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Amazulu, Golden Arrows and Durban Bush Bucks, throwing their lot with the breakaway group, under the leadership of Roger Sishi and later under the chairmanship of Leepile Taunyane.

Motaung was one of the founders of the NSL in 1985, which attracted a number of sponsors, including SA Breweries’ Castle Lager brand as the league sponsor, JPS, Mainstay, Rothmans and a host of others.

With Motaung at the helm as the head of the finance committee, the NSL strived. In 1996 it established a trading wing known today as the Premier Soccer League (PSL), that Motaung co-founded with Irvin “Iron Duke” Khoza, as its first chairman.

Motaung has remained and continues to play a pivotal role in the NSL/PSL finance committee as its head and besides managing to attract sponsors for the league.

Chiefs have attracted the highest number of backers and sponsors in the country from the time of Iwisa as their title sponsor and the sponsor of the NSL’S Charity one-day tournament, to Vodacom, that also sponsors Khoza’s Orlando Pirates, and the two are known as the Soweto giants.

Motaung’s contribution in serving South African foot all is at times underrated as he’s not one to blow his trumpet.

Besides serving in the NSL and Safa executive committees, he was one of leading campaigners to bring the Fifa World Cup to our shores, both during the bid for the 2006 edition and the successful 2010 South African bid.

He was a member of the the Local Organising Committee (LOC) established to oversee the 2010 World Cup, a football spectacle that was declared as one of the most successful Fifa World Cups ever.