Royal AM must give up on their fight to be reinstated in the PSL

THE tug-of-war between the PSL and Royal AM appears far from over — but the league may have made the right call by expelling the club earlier this year.

- MIHLALI BALEKA.

This week, Pretoria High Court Judge Boitsheko Seleka reserved judgment on Royal AM’s bid to be reinstated in the PSL. ‘Thwi-hli Thwahla’ turned to the High Court after being expelled from the league for bringing it into disrepute.

Sars placed the club under curatorship earlier this year in an effort to recover R40 million in unpaid taxes owed by club president Shauwn Mkhize. However, after Sars failed to secure a buyer for the club, the PSL removed it from the league — finishing the season with just 15 teams.

In court papers, Mkhize contends that the family had relinquished ownership by the time the club entered curatorship, transferring directorship to a certain Shamis Sadab. According to her, this meant the club could not be used to recover her personal tax debts.

However, PSL legal representative Michael Murphy argued that Mkhize never informed the league of this change in ownership. Therefore, the league acted within their rights when the Board of Governors (BoG) voted to expel the club in April.