It was a betrayal, plain and simple

Cape Town Spurs' dramatic fall from the DStv Premiership to the third-tier ABC Motsepe League has left many South African football lovers in disbelief. One of those hardest hit is veteran defender Clayton Daniels, a former captain and stalwart who helped lead the Urban Warriors to top-flight promotion just two years ago. In a candid and emotional conversation with Soccer Laduma's Delmain Faver, Daniels opens up about the broken promises that followed that historic promotion, the treatment of players who sacrificed for the badge, and the turbulent decision-making that he believes ultimately doomed the club. The 40-year-old also lifts the lid on his fractured relationship with Ernst Middendorp, the coach he personally recommended, only to be shown the exit door weeks later.

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Delmain Faver: Clayton, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Let's start with the bigger picture. Cape Town Spurs have now suffered a second consecutive relegation. How does that sit with you?

Clayton Daniels: It's heartbreak-ing. You know, a lot of players came through the academy, turned professional at this club when it was still Ajax Cape Town. It produced players who went on to represent Bafana Bafana. For a club with that kind of history to drop out of the professional leagues, it’s devastating. From the PSL, to the Motsepe Foundation Championship, and now down to the ABC Motsepe League? That’s a fall from grace, my brother. And when you think of everything that led to this moment, you have to ask, where did it all go wrong?

DF: Where do you think it went wrong?

CD: It started right after we gained promotion to the PSL two seasons ago. I was there, part of the squad, I was captain. We had an incredible campaign under coach Shaun Bartlett. But even then, the cracks were showing. We were promised R1 million to share amongst the players as a reward for gaining promotion. That promise was never fulfilled. Instead, we got a nice supper at the Barnyard Theatre. And then, suddenly, the language changed. Management said it was only if we got automatic promotion. So already, the trust between players and management was broken.

DF: That must have affected morale...

CD: Absolutely. Some of the players who helped win that Motsepe Foundation Championship title didn’t even make it into the elite league squad. They were cut loose. The rest of us got “better” contracts, but we’re talking R5 000 or R10 000 increases— not life-changing money. So, imagine the disappointment. There was no proper reward, no real reinvestment in the squad. That was the first domino. From there, things kept getting worse.