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After he bought a third-tier side, it shot up the ranks. Now Slungu Thobela is eyeing a spot in the PSL.
Mbombela-based attorney Slungu Thobela shows City Press a text message about a KwaZulu-Natal gynaecologist who almost lost R15 million to fraudsters.
The doctor wanted to buy a National First Division (NFD) team, but ended up speaking to an impostor who claimed to be Thobela.
The attorney-cum-soccer boss has been facing a nicer problem than applying his nous to complex legal matters lately. Thobela has been declining numerous offers to buy his team, TS Sporting FC, which was promoted to the NFD this month.
TS Sporting FC played against Gauteng-based Maccabi FC in the finals of the ABC Motsepe League in Polokwane on June 9. Although they lost 5-4 on penalties, TS Sporting secured the promotion to the NFD and earned themselves R500 000.
The desk in Thobela’s office is piled high with legal files and TS Sporting’s paperwork. Three years earlier, he would not have believed that he would be in the NFD so soon, owning a team worth R15 million and declining offers for it.
TS Sporting is on the brink of crushing Chippa United’s record of gaining promotion every season from three lower divisions to the Premier Soccer League (PSL). So far, the team is on track and is a season away from surpassing its own target.
“We had a five-year plan to be in the PSL, but in three years, we’re just one step away,” Thobela said this week.
When he decided to purchase a status in the third-tier SAB League in 2016, Thobela was responding to calls from people in Zwelisha near Mbombela to establish a local team. He had been organising and sponsoring an annual June 16 soccer tournament for the soccer lovers in his area.
“I have declined all the offers. Some buyers are even prepared to pay as much as R20 million for my team. I tell them that this team belongs to the community,” Thobela said.
The SAB and ABC Motsepe leagues were not easy to deal with, he said. That’s where his legal mind played a big role.
“Those leagues are too corrupt, but we fought for ourselves. Had we not fought, we would not have participated in the play-offs.”
Patting the pocket of his tracksuit pants, he explains how difficult it was.
“I ran this team from my pocket. It cost me R300 000 a month. Some people I started the team with pulled out. Money goes and goes in this business. But I don’t regret anything. I spent R45 000 to buy a SAB team three years ago and now I have a team worth R15 million.”
TS Sporting is preparing to join a legion of Mpumalanga sides – Mbombela United, Witbank Spurs, TS Galaxy and probably Acornbush United (if they manage to buy a status) – who will be competing in the NFD in the 2018/19 season.
Thobela says his team is ready.
TS Sporting has been busy on the market with new signings, including Solly Luvhengo, a former national Under-20 team coach; former Baroka goalkeeper Oscarine Masuluke; and two Swazi internationals: Sandile Hlatshwayo and Sanele Mkhweli, who plied their trade with that country’s premier league side Mbabane Swallows.
“This team is going to surprise people and is going to compete. We’re honoured to be in the same league as established brands such as Jomo Cosmos and Platinum Stars,” Thobela said.
There is no sponsor, but Thobela said he could afford to pay his players and support staff for now.
Mpumalanga does not have a PSL team yet, but the province’s teams are sure to set the NFD alight in the next season.
