So I picked up a Twitter exchange that involved AmaZulu general manager Lunga Sokhela, who is also the son of the owner of the club.
The exchange was triggered by the release of a resignation letter written by Steve Komphela in which he detailed the troubles at Bloemfontein Celtic.
Komphela highlighted issues of payment for players and club personnel, and how he often had to fork out from his own pocket to keep things going.
The AmaZulu GM felt the letter should not have been published and defended club ownership in the country, going as far as suggesting that “people should appreciate club owners” because “we spend millions which we will never make back to keep the industry alive”.
I won’t go into how he also called a journalist a “Mickey Mouse” who makes a living from the football industry he is supposedly keeping alive, because that’s strictly an issue between him and the journalist.
MILLIONS: Steve Komphela. Photo: STEVE HAAG/BACKPAGEPIX
Sokhela is in a really good position to make the statements he made about the lack of support from fans and corporates.
But he can’t sit there and suggest that we should be thankful.
It’s not our problem that he and many of the other owners don’t have their story straight and they continue to reserve certain strategic positions and family businesses within the football management.
The sad part is that some of these family members lack ideas, so instead of simply seeking brownie points from fans, get more open-minded people involved and share your vision with them.
I don’t have all the details about other countries, but there are so many sons in key positions of influence in the PSL.
FAMILY TIES: Bobby Motaung. Photo: SYDNEY MAHLANGU/BACKPAGEPIX
AmaZulu, Cape Town City, Free State Stars, Golden Arrows, Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates are just some of the clubs that come to mind where the club owner’s child or children are in charge.
Go back in time, SA football was not run as family businesses when it was thriving, public relations officers were the key middlemen between the industry and the club.
That connection to fans and the general public is now lost and the results of all that are chaps like the Sokhelas and the Bobby Motaungs making statements that leave you confused whether to receive them as arrogant or give them the benefit of the doubt.
As the old saying goes, “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”.
If running a football club is that difficult, there's a pretty simple solution for these guys: SELL IT!