Black Leopards owner David Thidiela has launched a scathing attack on the executive structure of the PSL, insisting that club owners must step aside from administrative roles to eliminate inherent conflicts of interest.
Speaking at a media briefing at The Venue in Melrose Arch on Thursday, the veteran football administrator revealed he has formally written to PSL chairperson Dr Irvin Khoza and acting CEO Mato Madlala, urging both officials to vacate their administrative positions in favour of independent leadership.
Madlala is the chairlady of Golden Arrows, while Khoza is the chairman of Orlando Pirates. Both clubs compete in the PSL, creating what Thidiela views as a direct conflict of interest.
Thidiela’s public outcry comes as Lidoda Duvha escalate their battle to save their PSL status to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Limpopo-based side suffered relegation to the ABC Motsepe League at the end of the 2025/26 Motsepe Foundation Championship campaign—their second drop in three years after previously purchasing the status of Cape Town All Stars.
Leopards maintain that their campaign was severely compromised by the PSL’s decision to withhold registration cards for new signings during the opening four fixtures of the season. After failing to secure relief through the PSL Dispute Resolution Chamber, SAFA Arbitration, and the Johannesburg High Court—where an urgent application was struck off the roll—the club has taken its grievances to international football’s highest tribunal.
‘EVERYBODY WHO OWNS TEAMS CAN’T RUN THE LEAGUE’ – DAVID THIDIELA
Addressing the media in Johannesburg, Thidiela made no attempt to disguise his frustration with the governance model that allows team owners to oversee league decisions.
“I don’t want to be controlled by anybody when I’m investing my own money,” Thidiela said. “I wrote a letter and said Mato must move where she is sitting; she can’t decide my future. Everybody who owns teams can’t run the league; we must get neutral people to run the league.
“You can’t sit there and decide about Black Leopards while you are sitting there and protecting your team. I was saying this quietly, making noise now and again, thinking maybe they would hear me. But I didn’t get the support I deserve—even from the executive; everybody was just quiet.”
During his address, the Leopards boss also pointed to commercial issues and sponsorship constraints in the domestic game, questioning why corporate sponsors are hesitant to invest in local football.
“There are rules for this league which say we don’t advertise liquor in our football, isn’t it? Don’t you know about it? Yes, but some are doing it,” Thidiela claimed. “The racing people have long wanted to sponsor the league, and the NFD doesn’t even sponsor, do they? White people are running away from sponsoring us. Something is wrong; we must inspect ourselves. We are doing wrong things. So if the public doesn’t stand up and do something… football is dead.”
However, contrary to Thidiela’s assertion, the National Soccer League [NSL] handbook does not contain an explicit rule banning alcohol brands from sponsoring member clubs or the league. Instead, Section 17.8 states that team sponsors must not conflict with league partners or bring the game into disrepute.
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