Royal AM will not be honoring their upcoming matches against Orlando Pirates in the Betway Premiership and Milford FC in the Nedbank Cup.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) released a statement confirming that Royal AM had informed them of their inability to fulfill these fixtures. The club is currently under curatorship following the seizure of its assets by the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

The seizure stems from allegations that club owner Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize owes SARS approximately R40 million. This financial crisis previously led to the non-payment of player salaries in December, although payments have since been made in January.

The seizure of assets also resulted in the postponement of Royal AM’s league match against Chippa United earlier this month due to an inability to meet their commitments.

“On 9 January 2025 Royal AM FC informed the League that it could not meet its commitments in respect of its match against Chippa United FC on 11 January 2025 due to difficulties arising from the appointment of a Curator,” said PSL in a statement. 

“The Executive Committee (ExCo) has since convened three separate meetings seeking the assurance that the club, under curatorship, will be able to meet its fixture commitments in a compliant fashion. 

“On 17 January 2025 ExCo was informed that a joint letter of comfort (from club management and the Curator) would be provided confirming that the issues that led to the club being unable to meet its commitments had been resolved. 

“No such letter of comfort has been forthcoming and ExCo has been left with no alternative but to cancel PSL Fixture 106 – Royal AM vs Orlando Pirates Harry Gwala Stadium at 19h30 – and to suspend all other Royal AM fixtures (Betway Premiership and Nedbank Cup) until further notice. 

“The Executive Committee will meet again on Friday 24 January 2025 at 11h00 to afford Royal AM (under curatorship) to make representations regarding this matter.” 

Further complicating matters, Royal AM is currently serving a FIFA ban that prohibits them from signing new players due to an outstanding debt of R15 million, including accumulated interest, owed to former player Samir Nurkovic. That has led to them being excused to participate in this season’s DStv Diski Challenge.

The future of Royal AM’s 19 remaining fixtures in the Betway Premiership and Nedbank Cup remains uncertain while the club operates under curatorship.