In the Royal AM saga, everyone loses, but the biggest casualty is the PSL

The Royal AM saga has been a bruising chapter in South African football — a mix of mismanagement, financial scandal, and embarrassing headlines. 

While Royal AM itself has crumbled and the South African Revenue Services (SARS) has fought to recoup millions in unpaid taxes, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) is the biggest loser.

The league’s reputation, integrity, and ability to enforce its own rules have all been severely undermined.

Royal AM’s downward spiral was clear for months. After SARS placed the club under curatorship due to a R40 million tax debt, things rapidly deteriorated. Players went unpaid, training halted, and they failed to honour fixtures after December 2024.

Furthermore, the club was hit with two FIFA transfer bans and in November, they were booted out of the DStv Diski Challenge for failing to field a team. Despite all of this, the PSL dragged its feet — only officially expelling the club after they'd managed to play just 11 games.

By then, the damage to the league was already extensive. The PSL’s inability to act decisively has now altered the entire competition. All of Royal AM’s results stand to be annulled, which means teams that beat them are stripped of three points, while those that drew lose one.

Drama and controversy awaits as some may have suffered even cards suspensions due to calls made during games against Royal AM.

This is not just a clerical adjustment — it completely reshapes the standings and renders months of football effort meaningless for those affected.

To make matters worse, the expulsion of one team means that all the other teams will now only play 28 matches this season instead of the standard 30. Even more significantly, there will be no automatic relegation. 

The 15th-placed team, instead of going down, will go into the playoffs to fight for survival. This sudden change mid-season is not just unfair — it’s chaotic and deeply unprofessional.

SARS, though caught in the mess, played its role effectively. It followed due legal process, secured a court victory, and now has the green light to sell or liquidate the club to recover public funds. 

Royal AM, mismanaged from top to bottom and riddled with off-field drama — including the bizarre inclusion of their chairperson Andile Mpisane in the squad doning number 10 jersey whilst looking seriously out of shape — have reaped the consequences of their poor leadership.

But the PSL’s credibility is what’s truly on the line. A professional league must be able to enforce its rules, protect the fairness of competition, and react swiftly when those standards are threatened. In this case, it failed on all fronts. The Royal AM saga should have been dealt with long before it reached this point.

Royal AM may be history. SARS may eventually recover its dues. But the PSL must now repair the damage to its image — and fast. If it doesn’t implement stronger club licensing systems and crisis management protocols, this won’t be the last time South African football becomes the subject of ridicule.