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When Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi announced that a local consortium had bought shares in Moroka Swallows, many football-loving South Africans – including those who were not Dube Birds supporters – were pleased.
And our happiness was complete when it was announced that the team’s new owners were in the process of buying this team its Premier Soccer League (PSL) status from Free State Stars, in a deal that would see the beautiful Birds return to top-flight football.
These developments meant that Swallows, which found themselves relegated to the third-tier league, would kick among the other giants of local football.
While I admit to being against the back-door promotion of any team by those who have the means to buy it its status, the thought of Swallows’ return to the big time was enough to make me grin from ear to ear. I did not want this legendary team to disappear into the history books.
But conflicting reports in the past two weeks cast a dark cloud over the Birds’ comeback.
The PSL also had to come out and pour cold water over the pending deal between Lesufi’s charges and the owners of Free State Stars, saying that nothing had been concluded yet.
Reports this week indicated that the sticking point to the deal was the R55 million that Stars allegedly wanted in exchange for their status.
Then PSL chairman Irvin Khoza said on Metro FM on Thursday night that Lesufi had informed him that they had completed 45% of the deliverables of the deal, 24 hours to deadline – meaning The Birds faithful had been encouraged to celebrate too soon.
Finally, on Friday afternoon, Stars confirmed that the deal had fallen through after the potential buyers failed to meet certain conditions.
This failure clearly indicates that there are lessons to be learnt for any future team buyers.
Before announcing Swallows’ return, Lesufi and his cohorts should have ticked the boxes that matter in these kinds of transactions. Money is the primary consideration; finding a PSL team owner willing to sell is secondary. Only when both requirements have been met, can a public address be made.
This was not the case here. Clearly, the new owners of Swallows should have approached football administrator John Comitis for advice, after he paid the price and concluded the contract to purchase Mpumalanga Black Aces – and then informed the country that it was now a Cape Town team.
Follow me on Twitter @DumisaneLubisi
