The one thing that irks Cavin Johnson in South African football
Former Al Ahly assistant coach Cavin Johnson has picked the one thing that irks him in local football.
The 64-year-old had two stints with the now-defunct Platinum Stars, who were sold and renamed Cape Umoya United in 2018.
The club moved from North West to Cape Town before it was sold again to Venda Football Academy and relocated to Limpopo in 2021.
The Johannesburg-born coach says this shouldn’t be allowed, claiming that it destabilises the rise of football in the country.
CAVIN JOHNSON LAMBASTS SALE AND RELOCATION OF PSL CLUBS
Johnson has since expressed his dislike of the sale and relocation of clubs in South African football. “We should not allow teams to be bought and sold,” Johnson told FARPost.
“For example, Bloemfontein Celtic and Bidvest Wits should never have been sold because they’re old teams in South African football.
“Yes, they can buy them and sell them. If you follow the Europeans, the Glazers bought Manchester United, but the club remained in Manchester. The guys who bought Man City kept it in Manchester.
“People who bought Celtic should never have been allowed to move the team because that team has a solid base in Bloemfontein. Same with Wits.
“We need to understand those dynamics.”
MOVEMENT OF PSL CLUBS’ STATUSES IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS
– In 2018, the Motsepe Foundation Championship side Cape Town All Stars sold their status to TS Galaxy before they bought it back in 2020 when the Rockets secured top-flight status from Highlands Park.
– Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila sold their second-tier status to Sekhukhune United after they bought out Bidvest Wits from the DStv Premiership in 2020.
– In the same year, Durban businessman Sandile Zungu completed a 100% acquisition of AmaZulu from the Sokhela family but never renamed the club.
– In 2021, TTM rebranded to Marumo Gallants after it was sold to the Limpopo businessman Abram Sello. Later, Vhadau Vhadamani bought Royal AM’s second-tier status after the Durban-based club had purchased Bloemfontein Celtic.
– Before the start of the previous season, Cape Umoya was sold to a Limpopo businessman. The club was renamed Venda Football Academy and moved from Cape Town to Limpopo.
– When the current campaign began, the second-tier club Free State Stars were sold to Casric FC, who were competing in the ABC Motsepe League last season. The club then relocated to KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga.
RELATED STORY: Venda Football Academy confirm Joel Masutha’s appointment