Royal players told to be ready for action as club shoots down sale reports: source

Royal AM management has told the club's players and the coaching staff to remain calm, promising the team “will return to action soon”.

This comes amid reports the SA Revenue Service (Sars) is finalising the process of selling or liquidating the KwaZulu-Natal team, which was put under curatorship by Sars in November due to an outstanding tax debt of R40m by owner Shauwn Mkhize.

Royal have not kicked a ball in anger, as salaries went unpaid, since their 3-1 Betway Premiership defeat against TS Galaxy in Pietermaritzburg on December 29.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) leadership structures reportedly met early this week to discuss solutions to the Royal mess, with an expulsion of the club apparently among options considered.

A source at Royal said on Tuesday that on Monday the club's CEO Sinky Mnisi addressed the players and technical staff after the team returned to training on Sunday, two days after the employees received their January salaries. 

“Sinky addressed the players and coaches yesterday [Monday]. He said there's no need to worry because the club was going nowhere as they are having positive engagements with the PSL to find solutions,” the source, who did not want to be named, said.

“Bra Sinky promised the team will be playing games soon.”

Royal remain bottom of the log with eight points from 11 games. If the club returns to play it is not clear how the PSL would schedule the four to seven matches it would have to catch up to be on par in scheduling with the other 15 teams by the season's end in May.

The club's Monday meeting with players and coaches might have been a time-buying ploy as there have been reports that Sars will put Royal's status on the market after court proceedings.

The sale of Thwihli Thwahla would leave the league with difficult decisions to make as it would have to decided if the team's postponed fixtures in the 2024-2025 season should be played under new owners. If Royal, under new ownership, resumed from next season, would that be fair on the 2024-2025 campaign's relegation battlers and would it be constitutional?

Would buyers want to invest in a club where there is uncertainty over its fate in the top flight? It is unclear what say the PSL would have in a vetting process of new buyers if Sars controls the sale of the franchise.

PSL acting CEO Mato Madlala said the league has not been informed of the club being put up for sale by Sars, though she admitted it is aware of a court judgment that allows Sars to decide on Mkhize's assets, including the troubled club. 

“We are aware of the judgment of the court but if [the club] is up for sale, I'm not aware,” Madlala stated. “We have read the judgment, that's all I can say. We can't have a take right now.” 

Royal GM Richard Makhoba refused to comment, saying the club had decided not to speak to the media.

“I don't want to speak to you. You guys [media] write what you don't know. You are selling your papers, you have your sources, you might as well write what you think is right,” Makhoba said, angrily.

“You wrote what is not there, yesterday [Monday] you guys wrote the club has been sold when the court has granted [judgment] — what do you want to achieve, guys?

“Why are you hating this woman [Mkhize]? You always want to write everything that takes the brand into the dustbin.”

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