Moodley: I Tried To Buy SuperSport’s Status But…

Durban politician Roy Moodley has revealed that he tried to purchase the SuperSport United club status, stating he was “a little late” as it had already been secured by the son of Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie.

This marks another endeavor by Moodley to acquire a Premier Soccer League (PSL) club, following his unsuccessful bid for Royal AM’s status last season, a situation fraught with challenges.

Moodley was interested in buying Royal AM but presented conditions to the league. He requested an extension beyond June, citing that April was too late to complete 19 remaining games.

A further condition was that the club not be relegated at the end of the season, as he believed it would be impossible to play 19 matches in six weeks without facing relegation, especially after an envisioned R50 million investment.

However, the PSL Executive Committee (Exco), led by chairman Irvin Khoza, rejected all of Moodley’s conditions. This led to the deal falling through, Royal AM not being sold, and the club ultimately losing its league membership.

Royal AM, owned by controversial Durban businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize, found itself in this predicament after the South African Revenue Service (SARS) claimed she allegedly owed R40 million in tax revenue.

For the club to continue existing, a change of ownership was required, with SARS appointing Jaco Venter as curator to oversee the process and find a buyer.

Venter, however, could not secure a buyer, including Moodley, whose last-ditch attempt was thwarted by the PSL Exco’s refusal to agree to his conditions.

Moodley, remaining vigilant, was later alerted that SuperSport’s status was on the market. However, by the time he attempted to make an offer, it was already in the hands of McKenzie’s son, who had won the tender to acquire the club to form Siwelele Football Club.

“We were also hunting the club now, SuperSport. We wanted to buy SuperSport because they were having a problem and things like that, and I think that was already sold to somebody who has more power,” Moodley told Sportswire.

“And that is the minister of sports’ son, or something.”

Given the recurring sales of club statuses within the PSL, Moodley hopes the Exco made the right choice in approving the SuperSport sale, as he believes the trend of clubs selling statuses each season will persist.

He emphasized the importance of selecting competent leadership: “Our people must remember that, they must select the right government because, at the end of the day, if they are not selecting the right government, they are going to have the same failures.”

He further stressed the need for leaders with a strong business and financial management background: “You need to select the government that has got a business background, and it must be successful business background. You can’t select the person to run the country if you don’t have financial management background. If you run a business, if you don’t perform, we still can’t keep you in the business because there is going to be a failure; your performance is going to make me a failure.”

While Moodley has been unable to secure a top-flight PSL status, he is currently focused on giving back to the Durban community by launching his own football tournament, the Roy Moodley Legacy Cup. The first edition is scheduled to kick off later this month, with Hoy Park in Durban North as a potential venue.