Paltry R300 fee for referees fueling corruption concerns in ABC Motsepe
Former SuperSport United goalkeeper Tshepo Motsoeneng has highlighted the challenges faced by ABC Motsepe League sides, suggesting the paltry R300 transport fee fuels corruption.
Motsoeneng has coached Bizana Pondo Chiefs, Tornado FC, Buffalo City Municipal [BCM] and Zizwe United in the third tier.
Motsoeneng is set to make his sixth appearance at the SA football third-tier national playoffs. A feat that hasn’t been achieved by any coach in this amateur league.
The upcoming national playoffs are set to be held in the Northern Cape next month. SAFA will confirm the date and venue for the playoffs in due course.
TSHEPO MOTSOENENG ON ABC MOTSEPE LEAGUE CHALLENGES
Motsoeneng says despite being faced with many obstacles, he has learnt to grow a thick skin to defy the odds. He suggested that SAFA consider nationalising the league to make it more professional, as it is now a “jungle”.
“Football in the lower division has not been taken very seriously. People do as they please sometimes. I won’t say this and that. But you find out you go to a game that’s already decided. it’s terrible, your players get kicked left, right and centre in the field of play,” Motsoeneng told FARPost.
“I always advocate for this to say SAFA should go back to nationalising this league to make it more professional. Maybe to get more money so that you’re able to get referees who are getting proper salaries and stuff.
“In this division, you give a referee a transport fee of R600 or R800. That’s small money compared to what the teams are spending. So, you understand if the league gets nationalised every referee who wants to go and work in the PSL and their work will be cut in half and their focus will be on the development of the sport.”
HOW R800 IS SPLIT FOR REFEREES’ TRANSPORT FEE
This website went further to gather information on how paltry R800 transport fees for referees are shared among themselves as match officials.
The transport fees differ by region. In the SAFA Vhembe Regional League, which is now called Hollywood, each team contributes an amount of R350, making it R700 per game. The referee receives R300, while the assistant referees get R200 each.
Meanwhile, in the ABC Motsepe League, the referee and assistant referees each get the same amount of R300, including the match commissioner.
‘YOU DON’T SLEEP BECAUSE EVERY DAY IS A CHALLENGE FOR YOU’
The ex-Chippa United goal-minder, Motsoeneng believes steps must be taken to ensure referees are not left in a vulnerable position. “So if we could achieve that, it would be much better. But I can tell you that it’s a jungle. No coach wants to work in this division. This is because we all know that you might be number one for a certain period.
“Then you will need to sustain that but there might be forces that would want to take you off from there, because of the money spent by the clubs.
“So, you don’t sleep because every day is a challenge for you. It is either the players or the forces from the outside.”
THREE MATCH OFFICIALS SUSPENDED FOR SOLICITING BRIBES
A week ago, this publication reported that SAFA suspended three match officials for allegedly soliciting bribes.
The three match officials are accused of misconduct during a local SAFA Vhembe League match. The game was between Vuwani United Sports Academy and Masakona Real Citizens. This game took place on Saturday, 11 May 2024. The charges included match-fixing, unethical conduct, and soliciting bribes.
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