Shauwn Mkhize’s Royal AM facing uncertain future Mismanagement has been blamed for the financial problems that Shauwn Mkhize’s Royal AM are currently facing. Photo: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
Former Orlando Pirates head coach Roger de Sa believes bad management is to blame for the predicament KwaZulu-Natal-based Royal AM currently find themselves in.
The club are currently under the curatorship of the South African Revenue Service due to the almost R40 million that owner Shauwn Mkhize owes in taxes. They have also been handed a transfer ban by FIFA due to money owed to former players Samir Nurkovic and Ricardo Nascimento.
"I think it's just bad management, particularly not paying your taxes; we can't say anything else," De Sa was quoted by online publication KickOff.
"When you fail to pay your players and they go to FIFA, resulting in a lost case, all these factors will eventually impact you," said De Sa, who owned Cape Umoya United until the club was dissolved in 2021.
"It's a matter of too much focus on appearances and not enough on the core issues. It's a case of too much window dressing and not focusing on your store room.
"They seemed to have things figured out, and then all of a sudden, they fell apart with SARS. It's a bit embarrassing for the league and the sponsors. This shouldn’t be allowed to happen, to be honest."
2025 kicked off in a bad way for the PSL when they announced that the Betway Premiership clash between Chippa United and Royal AM would be postponed. The league failed to give a reason for the postponement, but it soon came to light that players from the KZN club did not return to training as scheduled over the non-payment of their salaries in December.
Later last week, owner Mkhize admitted the club was under the curatorship of SARS as she apologised to the players over the unpaid salaries.
The players have since returned to training, but reports persist that a number of them have asked to leave the embattled club.
IOL Sport