It was a dark day for football in the Free State and South Africa on Tuesday, this following the confirmation by the Premier Soccer League that Bloemfontein Celtic had been bought and relocated to KwaZulu-Natal.
The businesswomen, Shauwn Mkhize who owns Royal AM, bought the PSL status of Celtic in a deal reported to be worth R50 million. Just last week, Mkhize sold the GladAfrica Championship status of Royal AM to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC. This means that TTM will be playing in the national first division, while Celtic will be dissolved after 52 years of a rich and colourful history that led to the team from the City of Roses being one of the most loyally supported teams in South Africa. So much so that Celtic annually sells more supporter jerseys than some of the bigger teams such as Orlando Pirates.
The financial woes of Celtic have been well-documented over the past five years, and this saw players and support staff regularly not being paid. Sadly, the club was no longer financially viable and the sale is understandable. The truth of the matter is that in recent years the club did go up for sale on several occasions and these deals fell through at the 11th hour due to required documents not being handed over.
Just speaking to Celtic fans in the city it is clear that they are hurting and are feeling betrayed. Celtic fans are passionate. They are the more passionate in the country. Any PSL player who has faced Phunya Sele Sele at the Slaughterhouse (Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium) will tell you that. Celtic’s biggest supporter, Botha Msila, said there were people who would do anything to support the club and who would pay their last cent to remain loyal to the team.
“I can mention so many people who died on the road because of this club. I can mention so many people who sacrificed so much for this club. People paid their last cents to support this club.
“Celtic, for us, was a way of life. Without Celtic there is nothing left for us because this club was in our veins. We did not invest financially, but we invested emotionally.”
Regarding the players and coaches, they still have jobs and they have been told to report for duty in Pietermaritzburg ahead of the season which kicks off this weekend. This does, however, only count for the contracted players and not for those who are without contracts or on trial. The players were informed of the sale on Monday and they were instructed to pack up and leave immediately. They are going to play in warm-up games against Royal AM. From there the squad to compete in the Premier Soccer League will be selected.
Celtic will now play under the banner of Royal AM and this will bring a close to the dream that was started in 1969 by Norman Mathobisa and Victor Mahatane. In the 1980s the club, which was struggling financially, was acquired by the legendary Ntate Petrus “Whitehead” Molemela. Following the relegation of Celtic in 2001, the former player, Jimmy Augousti, purchased the club and ran it until Max Tshabalala bought it in July 2014.
In 1985 Celtic won the Mainstay Cup for their first piece of silverware. In 2005 they won the SAA Super 8 Cup (now MTN8) and were the runners-up in 2020. In 2007 they won the Telkom Charity Cup, the Telkom Knockout Cup in 2012 and the Charity Showdown in 2014. In the 2019/20 season they ended at the runners-up up in the Nedbank Cup.
While the outlook for the die-hard fans is bleak at this point in time, just maybe, someone will resurrect the club in the future and bring it back to the people and its former glory.
Siwelele Sa Masele! – MORGAN PIEK
