Newly signed Baroka FC goalkeeper Mondli Mpoto has opened up on how the Royal AM situation negatively changed his life.
He spent 6 months without a team or an income following the expulsion of Royal AM from the PSL. The decision came after months of uncertainty around the club’s future due to their troubles with SARS.
The PSL Executive Committee subsequently made the decision to terminate the club’s membership last season.
This resulted in Mpoto and other players going for months with no club or income. The 26-year-old has now gotten a lifeline after signing with Motsepe Foundation Championship side Baroka.
The goalkeeper was officially unveiled alongside eight other new signings at the Mafori Stadium in Lebowakgomo, Limpopo on Saturday.
FORMER ROYAL AM GOALKEEPER OPENS UP ON HOW THE CLUB SITUATION AFFECTED HIM
“Obviously, it affected me a lot. When I get affected, my family gets affected as well,” Mpoto opened up to FARPost.
“Yoh, it changed my life now. The way I do things as compared to before everything happened has changed. It’s been difficult for me.
“Financially, I am the breadwinner, so financial wise there was no income for my siblings and their kids,” he said.
“So it was extremely difficult for my family to get food, but I was trying my best until I was here.”
WHY MONDLI MPOTO AND HIS ROYAL AM TEAMMATES KEPT ON HAVING HOPE
Mpoto has also revealed how he and the players at Royal AM remained positive that the situation would be resolved until the last day the club was officially expelled.
“Obviously, the club was talking to us, telling us that everything will be okay because they were attending to the issue. We were positive until we saw that the team was officially expelled.”
Meanwhile, Mpoto is set to be part of the Bafana Bafana team that will be going to the CHAN tournament being held in East Africa.
RELATED STORY: Ex-Royal AM keeper headlines Baroka’s new signings