Shauwn Mkhize is seen on a football carrying a portable speaker with football players around her FILE - Royal AM club owner Shauwn Mkhize, centre, has made quite splash - good and bad - in South African football.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
Royal AM suspension from all footballing activities in the Premier Soccer League could be the final nail in the coffin for Shauwn Mkhize's team.
After a bright start to life in the Betway Premiership, the KwaZulu-Natal team's tenure in the top flight has gone south, leading to the club being placed under administration.
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There's never a dull moment when it comes to Royal AM. IOL Sport's John Goliath looks at some of the club's highs and lows during a rollercoaster period since acquiring their Premiership status from one of the most loved clubs in the country.
August 21, 2021:
Shauwn Mkhize buys Bloemfontein Celtics’ top-flight status and moves the team to KwaZulu-Natal from the Free State. Celtics had previously played in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for more than 50 years. The club was renamed Royal AM and had their first season in the Premiership in the 2021-22 season.
October 2, 2021:
Mkhize hands out wades of R200 notes to players on the field as a bonus following their 2-1 KwaZulu-Natal derby win over Maritzburg United.
In videos which emerged on social media, it appeared as though players were hesitant about the situation.
Mkhize defended her actions, saying “Royal AM always had problems and its problems will always be like this. I can never change what people think, but I can always do what I feel good and what I feel is right at the time.”
November 26, 2021:
So-called super fan Mama Joy Chauke shocked soccer fans when she announced she would be swapping her beloved Orlando Pirates for Royal AM.
Mama Joy has been a die-hard Buccaneer for over 30 years and became synonymous with the Soweto giants before being lured to Royal AM by Mkhize.
“As hard as it is, I am leaving Orlando Pirates and I am joining Royal AM,” she said.
May 23, 2022:
Despite a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns, Royal AM finished their debut season in the PSL in third position and qualified for the CAF Confederations Cup.
The club won 12 matches on their way to 47 league points, finishing 18 points behind winners Sundowns and two points behind Cape Town City. The team finished above Kaizer Chiefs on goal difference.
October 2022:
Royal AM decided to terminate former Kaizer Chiefs Samir Nurkovic’s contract after just two months because “he was on sick leave” for an extended period.
The club signed the striker as a free agent after Nurkovic left Chiefs in 2022, and agreed to pay him R420 000 a month. The Serbian hitman’s representatives then took the matter to FIFA to find a resolution.
May 20, 2023:
Royal AM end up surviving a hectic relegation battle in their second season, with only six points separating the bottom seven teams at the end of the campaign. The club finished 11th on 35 points, 12 points less than the previous year.
December 29, 2023:
Mkhize’s son and co-owner of the club chairman Andile Mpisane makes his full top-flight debut for the club in a 3-0 defeat to AmaZulu as a player after a few cameos off the bench. He went on to feature even more at the start of the 2024-25 season following their transfer ban.
The socialite/influencer/DJ/rapper has come in for some scathing criticism for his performances on the pitch. Former Cape Town Spurs coach Ernst Middendorp said Mpisane’s continued appearances for the club his mother owns is “embarrassing” and a “comedy”.
January 15, 2024:
The club was hit by a FIFA transfer ban over the outstanding payment of Nurkovic, who the club owes R15 million in salary payments (plus interest).
The ban was enforced for three transfer windows, meaning the KZN team couldn’t refresh the squad to compete.
January 24, 2024:
Royal AM suffer another transfer ban after former Ricardo Nascimento won his dispute against the team for unpaid salaries.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns defender took up his contract dispute against Royal AM to FIFA in 2023 after failed attempts to resolve the matter amicably with the club at the end of his 15-month stay.
October 11, 2024:
Royal AM were booted from the DStv Diski Challenge after failing to field a team during the reserve team competition.
Because of the Fifa transfer ban, the club were unable to register new players for the Diski Challenge and Betway Premiership and didn’t have enough players to field a team in the competition. Apparently they only had nine who were eligible to play.
October 14, 2024:
Royal AM’s appeal to have their FIFA transfer ban overturned ended up being thrown out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The club had approached CAS to try and overturn the transfer ban that was handed down to them by FIFA after they failed to pay the salaries of forward Nurkovic and defender Nascimento.
November 2024:
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) seizes control of a number of owner Mkhize’s assets, including the football club, allegedly due to the businesswoman owing the tax collector about R40 million.
January 7, 2025:
Royal AM’s players go on strike and don’t return from the festive break after the non-payment of December salaries. Their match against Chippa United on January 11 was postponed.
January 8, 2025:
Royal AM released a statement surrounding the matter of Sars and the unpaid December salaries.
“Royal AM wishes to address the unfortunate situation regarding the non-payment of salaries for December 2024, affecting our valued players, technical team, and staff. We acknowledge the hardship this has caused and extend our heartfelt apologies to those impacted, including their families.
“As many are aware, the club is currently under curatorship following a preservation order obtained by SARS. While this has resulted in the temporary appointment of a curator, Mr Jaco Venter, to oversee the club’s assets and operations, we want to assure all stakeholders that Royal AM remains committed to resolving this matter as swiftly as possible.
“The club’s management team, led by our CEO and General Manager, has been working diligently with the curator to secure the necessary permissions to release funds for salary payments. It has always been the ethos of Royal AM to prioritise the wellbeing of our personnel, and we remain dedicated to upholding that principle despite the current challenges.”
January 22, 2025:
The PSL suspends all other Royal AM fixtures (Betway Premiership and Nedbank Cup) until further notice because of their financial struggles, starting with the fixture against Orlando Pirates.
"On 17 January 2025, [the PSL] were informed that a joint letter of comfort [from the club and curator] would be provided confirming that the issues that led to the club being unable to meet its commitments had been resolved," the PSL said in a statement on Wednesday.
"No such letter of comfort has been forthcoming and the [PSL] has been left with no alternative but to cancel [the game against] Orlando Pirates at Harry Gwala Stadium, and to suspend all other Royal AM fixtures (Betway Premiership and Nedbank Cup) until further notice.”
Mamkhize suffered a huge blow when she failed in her recent court bid to take back control of the club. Sars then got the green light for the club to be sold to the highest bidder to recoup the reported R40 million they are owed in outstanding taxes.
Sars have hinted that they already have a buyer for the club, but if a deal can't be done, the club will be liquidated. Reports suggests that the PSL want the sale of the club to be done swiftly, so that the postponed fixtures can be honoured.
@JohnGoliath82
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