Max Tshabalala continues bid to find Bloemfontein buyer for ailing Celtic

Bloemfontein Celtic owner Max Tshabalala is to continue his bid to find a local buyer for the ailing club when he meets with Mangaung Metro Executive Mayor Olly Mlamleli and local businesspersons on Wednesday.

It is a second meeting between the club and the Mayor this week in a desperate attempt to keep the cash-strapped club in the Free State‚ with Tshabalala confirming that the only bids he has received so far have been from outside of the province.

Having poured cold water on reports that the club had already been sold to a mystery Kimberley businessman on Tuesday‚ Celtic did admit that they were looking at playing some fixtures in the Northern Cape next season‚ but denied this was linked to a sale.

“To gain funds in order to remedy the financial situation of the club‚ chairman Tshabalala and his executive committee have been to the Sol Plaatjie Municipality on the possibility of playing some home games in Kimberly‚” the club revealed on Wednesday.

“No deal has been signed and there is nothing binding Celtic to play in Kimberley.”

Celtic‚ seen as one of the Premier Soccer League’s marquee franchises and among the best-supported clubs in the country‚ has been in the spotlight for the last week over their perilous financial situation.

Reports that the club had been sold to a Kimberley-based businessmen sparked protests in the city‚ with fans taking to the streets to burn various objects.

The club claimed on Tuesday that those reports were “untruthful and misleading”‚ but Tshabalala has confirmed that he is desperate to sell the team at the earliest opportunity due to his own financial troubles‚ as well as the loss of a R21-million per year sponsorship from MTN.