FARPost has established some facts around Black Leopards playing their first Motsepe Foundation Championship match of the new 2025/26 season with only 10 players and no recognised goalkeeper.
Leopards suffered a 3-0 defeat to Casric Stars at the Thohoyandou Stadium on Saturday afternoon. An hour before the 15:00 match, information surfaced that the home side had only 10 players available.
Kick-off for the match was subsequently delayed by an hour after deliberations between match officials and the two clubs.
Despite the recent signing of three goalkeepers, including Namibian international Lloyd Kazapua, the club had no recognised goalkeeper on the day.
This resulted in the captain of the club and defender Thendo Mukumela being used as the makeshift goalkeeper for the match. Leopards also played with only nine on-field players on the day.
WHAT LED TO BLACK LEOPARDS USING A MAKESHIFT GOALKEEPER FOR THE MATCH
This publication has gathered that the club was affected due to the debt inherited from All Stars FC when they purchased their PSL status before the beginning of last season.
All Stars were reportedly taken to FIFA by one of their former players for the monies owed to him. This resulted in FIFA imposing a transfer ban on them.
But because Leopards had already purchased the status, the ban has now come to haunt them.
The club reportedly only became aware of the situation on Friday after failing to obtain playing cards for their new players at the Premier Soccer League offices. A Leopards branded vehicle was spotted at the PSL offices in Parktown on Thursday afternoon.
This publication has further established that the club has written to FIFA through their lawyers to seek more clarity on the matter.
COACH JOEL MASUTHA PLEADED WITH HIS PLAYERS’ FIGHTING SPIRIT UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES
“There is nothing much that one can say, but under the circumstances, the players fought hard,” Masutha told journalists during a post-match interview.
“But I am very pleased with the performances of the players. You could not believe that we were playing without a complete team. We did not have a goalkeeper or defenders, but I am pleased with how the boys played.”
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