Jomo Sono calls for indaba on restructuring of ABC Motsepe League

Jomo Sono says the time has arrived for football leaders to have a discussion on how to restructure the ABC Motsepe League and take it out of the doldrums. 

Over the years there have been countless allegations of impropriety, mostly to do with poor officiating, in South Africa's third tier, where Sono's Jomo Cosmos compete.

The Orlando Pirates and South African footballing great said the league is a good platform to produce players for the Betway Premiership but it is spoiled by “other things”. 

“People mustn't underestimate the ABC Motsepe League because it is tough; it is spoiled by other things I won’t mention,” Sono said. 

The outspoken Sono made an impassionate plea for football officials to have a discussion with club owners and relevant stakeholders to discuss how the league can be restructured. 

“I have noticed in South African football officials and everybody else don’t discuss football. There is no discussion of football here — if the leader has decided it will just be like that. 

“There have never been meetings where we discuss the way forward for football, to say, 'How can we restructure this ABC Motsepe League?' You play the whole year, win the league and you go to the playoffs to get knocked out there. It doesn’t make sense and it’s painful.

“We need to sit down as football. Officials must call us to a football indaba where everybody is given an opportunity to say something. Journalists, supporters and chairs of clubs must be involved in that discussion.”

Sono said there is much that could be exposed in South African football at amateur level and the league has not evolved. 

“Let’s sit down and talk about football and stop hammering each other in the press. There is so much that can be exposed about amateur football but it is not the way now. 

“Football has evolved but we are sticking to the same story for so many years. The reason is officials in football don’t want to sit with stakeholders because they feel intimidated. 

“They want to sit there and decide on their own and decide for us. We have to play because we are members but I think the time has come for stakeholders in football to sit down and have a discussion. 

“We are not going to fight, we are going to talk and see what can we do about this ABC Motsepe League because it is a good league. If it is properly run, it can even be a better league.

“Most of the players playing in the PSL come from this league.” 

Cosmos, a club with a rich history that won the 1987 National Soccer League title, became a yo-yo team between the Premiership and National First Division (NFD) in the 2000s and 2010s. Exenkosi then spent six seasons in the NFD before their relegation to the ABC Motsepe League at the end of the 2021-2022 season.