A former All Stars FC director has spoken out about the drama involving Black Leopards after the Limpopo club bought their Motsepe Foundation Championship status in 2023.
In 2023, Thando Sodinga is believed to have facilitated the sale on behalf of the then All Stars chairman Lunga Ncwana, who sold the team to the Thidielas for no more than R7 million.
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However, it appears Leopards were unaware of the debts associated with All Stars at the time of the transaction.
This past weekend, the second-tier outfit received alarming news: they are not allowed to register new players due to the debts inherited.
The issue arose after one of All Stars' former players reported the club to FIFA for unpaid wages.
As a result, Leopards had to field only 10 players in their season opener against Casric Stars, with defender Thendo Mukumela stepping in as makeshift goalkeeper. They were defeated 3-0.
When called by KickOff.com, Sodinga expressed surprise at the situation.
"This is news to me. Who is that player? The last time I checked, there were no players with existing contracts when the club was sold to Black Leopards, as we typically operated on a one-season basis at All Stars.
"You can check that the season had already concluded when the sale went through, so I’m shocked. The only player I know of with a contract was Ryan Baartman, who was sold to Sekhukhune United," said Sodinga.
He speculated that if the case has been escalated to FIFA, it likely involves a foreign player. Some of the notable foreign players on the club’s books that year include Eswatini-born Justice Figuareido and Francis Jesse from Nigeria.
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"Which debt is FIFA referring to?
"Maybe it is something that happened when the team relocated from Cape Town to Johannesburg, during the time when Morgan Mammila was involved in the day-to-day operations of the team. However, chairman Lunga Ncwana would have informed me."
Attempts to reach Lidoda Duvha chairman Tshifhiwa Thidiela by phone drew a blank.
Photo by Philip Maeta/Gallo Images
