On Friday, Jomo Sono, the former South African football great, expressed
his belief that the buying and selling of clubs in the domestic game is
causing confusion amongst the younger generation.
Sono, who is currently managing ABC Motsepe League side Jomo Cosmos, made
it clear that he would never buy his way back up to the top, despite the
temptation to do so.
He believes in doing it the hard way, no matter how long it takes. “It’s
an easy route to buy a second division (Motsepe Foundation Championship)
status for R10 million, but have you got guarantees that you will stay?
Number two, I believe in myself and I believe in my talent. I believe that
I can take this team back without buying any other team,” Sono said.
He went on to explain that even if one were to buy a club for R12
million, they would still have to spend extra money to reinforce the team
in order to protect their investment.
Sono also pointed to the example of clubs such as Bloemfontein Celtic and
Bidvest Wits, who have sold their statuses to clubs that have changed
their names and locations.
He believes this creates confusion for the younger generation, who may
not understand why their favourite teams have disappeared.
“If you look at Spain and England, the names have been there for donkey
years, and they don’t move from the area where they play. Can you imagine
if an Arab were to make Liverpool go play in Saudi Arabia? I think it
confuses the younger generation because in every household, you find that
the father supporters Chiefs, Pirates or SUndowns. And as the kids grow,
they end up supporting those teams. If one of those teams are sold and the
name vanishes, these kids will be lost and the history will be gone. They
can’t talk about one of those teams which has been sold because the
history is gone,” said Sono.
“I don’t think it’s right, but money speaks, money decides.”
