What does it say about AmaZulu that you’ve bought your way back to the PremierSoccer League (PSL) for the second time in just over 10 years, having also boughtDynamos ’ status in 2005?
I don’t understand the rhetoric from people who keep saying that we are buying ourway back to the PSL. Where are those people when a multibillionaire like [Bidvest Witsowner] Brian Joffe or [Mamelodi Sundowns president] Patrice Motsepe buy their successwith the players they purchase? Where were those people when [John] Comitis boughtMpumalanga Black Aces’ status [to form Cape Town City]? It’s like these people only come out when it’s us who does it.
Is it because we are black? This is no different to what [Roman] Abramovich did at Chelsea. He spent a lot of money to get success. People must remember that football is a business. This is a business decision on our part and when you are involved in business, you spend money to get an edge and succeed.
Then why did the club not spend this money to sign players to give you success like those other businessmen have done?
We have done that in the past and it didn’t work out. You have to remember thatmoney doesn’t always guarantee success. We tried to gain promotion from the firstdivision unsuccessfully for two years. This is plan B.
What makes you think that the club will survive in the elite league, especially whenyou look at how clubs from the National First Division (NFD) have struggled afte rpromotion — something AmaZulu couldn’t even achieve?
Those teams did things differently and we are going to do things differently. I am notsaying what they did was wrong or knocking them down. But I am saying that we havelearned our lessons.
We have paid the school fees and we are a wiser team now. You also have to remember that there have been some teams that have gone from the NFD and did well in the PSL. Tuks [University of Pretoria] finished in the top eight after their first season in the PSL. We will hold our own.
What are the lessons that AmaZulu have learned in the two seasons they spent in the NFD?
Those two years gave us an opportunity to reset, something we were never able to do in the PSL. We went for new young talent because when you see the market, it ’s a game of musical chairs.
The same players are moving around from one club to the next. In these two years, we were able to focus on our development so that we can strengthen it for the future. The results showed in the young talent that came up to the team. We were competitive.
You need that in the PSL because of how small the margins are. Not much separated the teams in the top three, those who finished in the top eight and those who missed out. There wasn ’t much difference between the teams who survived relegation and the one that was relegated.
The standard between the first division and the PSL is slowly getting closer because first division teams hold their own against those from the PSL. The Nedbank Cup is testament to that. You have to run your team smartly because you need to be intelligent to succeed.
Will coach Joey Antipas continue with the team?
The coach has our full backing. He has been hard at work preparing the team for th edifficult task that lies ahead in the PSL. We will just bolster his technical team so that hehas all the help he can get to compete in the PSL. We’ll probably strengthen our medicalteam to complement the work the coach and his technical team are doing.
What can people expect from this team?
We will bring back the pride that’s associated with supporting a team like AmaZulu. We will play some of our games in areas like Umlazi to take the game to the people.
The years we spent in the NFD allowed us to build a solid foundation for us to besuccessful. We have homegrown talent that will make our supporters proud of supporting their own. But that doesn’t mean that we are going to alienate anyone. Wehave built a strong core of the team where 60%-70% have been with the team for a longtime.
We will beef up the team by bringing six to seven players with PSL experience. We will be a strong team that will restore the AmaZulu of old. I am not saying we will match their success, but we will be competitive.
There ’s been a positive vibe ever since our return was confirmed, even from non-AmaZulu supporters. It shows that we were missed in this space. People missed comingto Durban to play against us. The 16-team table wasn’t complete without the name ofAmaZulu. Now it’s complete.
We are back and we are going to hold our own...