Baroka FC chairman Khurishi Mphahlele has taken full responsibility for the club’s relegation from the Motsepe Foundation Championship, stating that he accepts the demotion to the SAFA ABC Motsepe League with dignity.
With one match remaining, Baroka have been demoted to the ABC Motsepe League after a poor season where they only won four matches. The club has been relegated alongside fellow Limpopo side Black Leopards.
Their relegation was confirmed after their 3-1 loss to league champions Kruger United on 26 April 2026 at the Mafori Village in Lebowakgomo.
The relegation of Baroka has sent shockwaves through the Limpopo football fraternity, marking a sombre turn for a club with a significant following and a storied legacy.
Bakgaga’s rise was a genuine fairytale, seeing them climb from the humble LFA ranks all the way to the Premiership in 2016. Along the way, they became the only club in the Premier Soccer League to own its own stadium and etched their name in history as the first Limpopo side to win a domestic cup after famously defeating Orlando Pirates in the 2018 Telkom Knockout final.
Now, however, the professional ranks are behind them as they return to the amateur fields of the ABC Motsepe League.
BAROKA FC CHAIRMAN TAKES THE BLAME FOLLOWING THE CLUB’S RELEGATION TO THE ABC MOTSEPE LEAGUE
Speaking to this publication, Mphahlele acknowledged that as the leader, he takes all the blame. However, he remains optimistic about a return to the professional ranks one day.
“Yes, I will take the blame because if we succeed, I am the one who takes the back seat,” Mphahlele told FARPost. “But if we lose, I am the one who takes the front seat. So I will take the blame. I dismissed the coach. They say ‘no, he fires too much’.
“But I will take the blame. That’s why I said I will take this relegation with dignity. We didn’t participate to be relegated, we were here to win the league. But if it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen. It’s unfortunate that things didn’t go well. We kept the same team that finished the league with the same coach and the belief that we would give them more time.
“When the season started, we could see that the team was not ready. Even during the pre-season, I noticed that the team couldn’t even win a single friendly match. Even when we were playing against a lower side. We couldn’t get convincing results, and it was a problem for me. But I was assured that they were just friendly matches.
KHURISHI MPHAHLELE REFUTES SUGGESTION THAT LACK OF EXPERIENCED PLAYERS FAILED THEM IN THE NFD
While some believe that one of the downfalls of the club was signing inexperienced players, Mphahlele begs to differ.
“No, we had a lot of experienced players. Remember, we even had [Badra Ali] Sangare, we had [Ananias] Gebhardt, [Bonginkosi] Makume, and Collins Makgaka. So we had enough experience. We did not doubt experience and quality. We had had enough.”
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