Tokyo Sexwale has distanced himself from a failed bid to bring Moroka Swallows back into the Premier Soccer League (PSL) through the back door.

On the sidelines of campaigning for the governing ANC in Molapo in Soweto yesterday, Sexwale told the Sunday Times that he was not part of the consortium for whom Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi was doing the bidding."I wasn't part of that consortium. It would have been a problem for me because of the work I do for Fifa. For someone who grew up in Dube, it is sad to see Swallows struggling," he saidLesufi suffered a bloody nose after his attempts to help relegated Swallows buy their way back to the PSL fell flat on Friday. He led a consortium of unknown investors who were trying to fast-track Swallows' return to the top-flight through the purchase of the premiership status of Free State Stars in a deal worth north of R55-million.story_article_left1But Stars confirmed on Friday that the deal had fallen through and the Free State club will take its place in the PSL when the domestic season kicks off next month."Free State Football Club had been approached by Mr Panyaza Lesufi, who offered to buy our club football franchise on behalf of his consortium," Stars chairman Mike Mokoena said in a statement. "We went as far as signing the sale agreement which was subject to certain conditions which unfortunately could not be met by Mr Lesufi or his consortium."Irvin Khoza issued an ultimatum on Wednesday giving Lesufi, Swallows and Stars until the end of the week to finalise the deal or the PSL would not entertain it. The PSL chairman also warned that Lesufi's personal reputation was on the line and that his name would suffer a massive knock if the deal fell through."I tried to speak to MEC Lesufi and he apologised," Khoza said this week. "But I am hoping that he fulfills his promise because I do not think that this will be good for brand Lesufi if this deal is not concluded."That is why we said by the end of this week we should know what is happening. We can't wait for too long because this is not fair to anybody. It is not fair to Free State Stars.story_article_right2"You can imagine the psychological trauma that Free State Stars' players are going through. Their management, their families, you know, there is a lot of disruption that is taking place right now. What message are we communicating to the sponsors right now?"The prolonged uncertainty over the deal has already had an impact on the release of premiership fixtures for the coming season and Khoza warned that South African football may not recover if the sale is botched.With the confirmation that the deal has indeed fallen through, the spotlight is now on Lesufi and his role in the matter.He couldn't be reached for comment and his cellphone went straight to voicemail.Stars had cited financial constraints as the reason behind their decision to sell. - TMG Digital..