‘Eish, next time’: Fans react to Royal AM losing their first match in the top flight

23 August 2021 - 10:00 By cebelihle bhengu
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Andile Mpisane with Shauwn Mkhize of Royal AM FC during the GladAfrica Championship 2020/21 game between Royal AM and Cape Town All Stars at Chatsworth Stadium on 23 May 2021
Andile Mpisane with Shauwn Mkhize of Royal AM FC during the GladAfrica Championship 2020/21 game between Royal AM and Cape Town All Stars at Chatsworth Stadium on 23 May 2021
Image: Steve Haag/BackpagePix

Soccer fans have taken to social media to react to Royal AM’s last gasp defeat to Swallows FC on Sunday.

Royal AM fell to substitute Mbulelo Wambi’s last-minute diving header during the DStv premiership encounter at the Dobsonville Stadium. 

KwaZulu-Natal-based businesswoman and reality TV star Shauwn Mkhize bought Bloemfontein Celtic's top flight status last week and relocated the club to Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal before renaming it Royal AM.

TimesLIVE reported Mkhize sold Royal AM’s GladAfrica Championship status to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) owner Lawrence Mulaudzi in the same week.

Royal inherited almost the entire Celtic playing personnel and technical team led by John Maduka and captain Ndumiso Mabena. 

Some supporters justified the defeat by saying the team needed time to adjust to the abrupt sale of Celtic and relocation to KwaZulu-Natal, while others weren’t impressed.

Mkhize said Sunday’s match was not the worst considering the abrupt changes in the team. 

“For the team  assembled in four days without a preseason, to hold one of the strongest teams [in the league] for 92 minutes, was not a bad start, lack of concentration in the dying minutes has cost us one point, we will take it and learn from our mistakes,” she wrote on Instagram. 

Here are some of the reactions online:


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