Khurishi Mphahlele, club boss of relegated side Baroka FC, has ruled out the possibility of buying a professional status, insisting that the PSL should actually scrap the trend.
Baroka are unfortunately being demoted to the SAFA ABC Motsepe League as they languish at the bottom of the Motsepe Foundation Championship table.
It is no secret that the end of the PSL season often brings the sale of club statuses, particularly by owners struggling to keep their teams afloat due to severe financial constraints.
However, Baroka FC chairman Mphahlele—whose club famously gained promotion to the professional ranks in 2012—has firmly distanced himself from the practice, reiterating his strong stance against the buying and selling of statuses in SA football.
BAROKA FC WANTS TO RETURN TO THE PROFESSIONAL RANKS THROUGH A PROMOTION
Following Baroka FC’s recent, disappointing relegation to the amateur structures, club chairman Mphahlele has defiantly defended his administration’s track record and business philosophy. Striking back at critics who have questioned his management style, he insisted that Bakgakga possesses the unique blueprint for success required to quickly navigate the SAFA third division and reclaim their spot in professional football.
“It’s those people who don’t know how to be a champion. They have never had that feeling of winning the league or grooming a player from a rural area to be an international player,” Mphahlele told FARPost.
“So we know how to do that. We are not ashamed of playing football in the SAFA division; we are not ashamed, we are actually very proud. We made the Premier League proud before, and we can go back again.
“There is nothing stopping us. The same rules that were there when we gained promotion are still there, and we know them. The only thing that will stop us is if we are lazy. That means we won’t be able to go there. But if we are working hard and we recruit smartly, we will go back there [Motsepe Foundation Championship],” he added.
“Magesi FC were relegated in their first season [of the Motsepe Foundation Championship] remember? But they came back, and they are now in the Premier League. So it’s possible. If Magesi can do it, why can’t we do it? We can do it.”
WHY KHURISHI MPHAHLELE IS AGAINST THE BUYING OF A PSL STATUS
“It’s a no. In fact, if I were in charge of the league, I would suggest that we do away with buying statuses,” he added.
“People come to the league with money from wherever, and they think they will make more money. When they don’t make more money, they save their status by robbing others. They take others to the disciplinary hearings, trying to take points illegally so they can sell. It doesn’t create great vibes.
“When you go to the big leagues like in England, you hardly find these types of transactions. Particularly when people buy a status, and they change the name and move the club around. Tomorrow you are in Bloemfontein, tomorrow in North West, and the next day you are in Pretoria. It’s not good business. I believe that a club must belong to a community.”
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