Cape Town City running out of road in bid to reverse relegation after Gallants ruling
Running out of options? Cape Town City chairman John Comitis has hinted that they may have to buy another club's status in order to stay in the Betway Premiership. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: BackpagePix
Cape Town City must now accept they’ll be playing in the Motsepe Foundation Championship next season, having run out of options.
Ever since they were relegated from the Betway Premiership, the Western Cape club have been exploring possible avenues of remaining in the league. On Thursday, they watched as their best chance went up in smoke.
The club had been pursuing a case against Marumo Gallants, who had been accused of fielding an incorrectly registered player during the league campaign. After the PSL had initially refused to act, City approached the SAFA arbitration tribunal, who ruled in their favour and said the PSL had to deal with the matter.
City wanted the stiffest sentence possible – a points deduction – to be given to Gallants. A points deduction would have seen the Bloemfontein-based club drop to the bottom of the league, which would have saved City from relegation.
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However, Gallants pleaded guilty and escaped with just a R200,000 fine. It marked yet another door slammed shut for City.
Earlier, newly promoted Orbit College insisted they had big ambitions and were not entertaining selling their status. The same was said by Richards Bay, who turned down a massive offer of R72 million.
“I’ve got someone I won’t mention by name who sent me a message saying there’s a desperate club looking to buy into the top flight,” Richards Bay boss Sfiso Jomo Biyela said earlier last month, according to FARPost. “They stated that they put up R60 million. They told me if I sign, the money can kick in just the next day. And they also put R12 million or R15 million – it’ll be up to me if I take the status in the NFD.
“Think about it – it’s R72 million. I asked them if they knew what a legacy meant. I said to them, legacy is priceless – there’s no value you can table here. Try elsewhere.”
Currently, TS Galaxy’s financial woes could give City their last chance of staying up.
TS Galaxy find themselves in a tight financial corner, which could force the Mpumalanga outfit to sell their status.
Tim Sukazi’s side, who finished fifth in the league last season, won’t be able to strengthen their squad ahead of the new campaign due to a transfer ban. The punishment stems from an unpaid balance owed to Ivorian forward Bernard Yao Kouassi, who had signed in January 2023 but left by August without playing.
FIFA ruled that TS Galaxy had breached his contract by failing to pay his dues, triggering a ban on registering new players for three consecutive transfer windows.
On top of that, there’s the case with Jegbay Morris Konneh – another Ivorian – who joined the club last July but left after six months without getting paid. Last week, a FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber ruled that the club must pay around R319,000 for six months of salary, plus 5% interest from August 1, 2024.
Additionally, they owe around R1.79 million in compensation for breach of contract, also with 5% interest from December 31, 2024. Failure to pay this within 45 days will result in another ban over three windows.
If TS Galaxy fail to resolve their financial woes soon, they risk collapsing under the weight of mounting debts and administrative sanctions. Owner Tim Sukazi could well be tempted to sell the club, opening the door for John Comitis and Cape Town City's bid to stay in the top flight.
For now, City’s only hope lies in another club’s misfortune – a harsh reminder of how brutal survival in South African football can be.
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