Midas touch gives Khoza thumbs up in re-election

JOBURG – Dr Irvin 'Iron Duke' Khoza has been re-elected unopposed to the helm of the Premier Soccer League.

The National Soccer League (NSL) has once again appointed its old guard to the helm of one of the world’s top 10 football leagues.

The NSL, which owns the lucrative Premier Soccer League (PSL) brand, took this decision at a Quadrennial General Meeting held in Sandton on 11 November.

Leading the old guard of returnees is none other than the charismatic and astute administrator and chairperson of the PSL, Dr Irvin ‘Iron Duke’ Khoza. He was re-elected unopposed to another four-year-term of the chairpersonship of this football brand that only last year posted more than a whopping R1-million in profit, a first-ever.

Khoza is well known for his magnetic hands and the affinity to attract corporate sponsorships in the blink of an eye where others have fallen flat. He has been labelled as having a Midas touch that turns everything he touches into gold.

This was exemplified in the recent last-minute ditching of the PSL by Absa. The pain of the sudden departure of Absa was never felt as Khoza managed to secure a new sponsor, DStv, in just under a month. Admirers of Khoza say he is an asset to the PSL brand and compliment his negotiation skills, and it is often said, ‘what the chairman wants, the chairman gets, you can never say no to the chairman when he comes knocking.’

In this year’s 2019/20 financials as presented in an unqualified audit report to the meeting, the league’s income totalled R970 million. Service payment to clubs increased by R40 million to R656 million from R616 million. The outbreak of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown is suspected to have depleted those reserves that were accumulated over a couple of years.

Addressing the meeting, Khoza, who is also the chairperson of Orlando Pirates, said, “The NSL operates a business whose critical asset is its fixture. It is from the fixture that every activity is energised. It is the fixture that creates conversations which are major businesses all in themselves.

“Traditionally, our value proposition is funded out of a part of our sponsors’ businesses that is most vulnerable to budget cuts – marketing. “Marketing budgets are the first to be cut in recessions.

“We have experienced this through the difficulty we experience in sponsorship renewals, and our broadcast partners experience in broadcast sponsorships and advertising sales.

He added it had become urgent for the PSL to consolidate and let the market receive tangible and ready to use formats.

“The manner in which we created the [Covid-19] bio-bubble, albeit very expensive, proved that we are reliable partners prepared to go to the end of the world to protect our partners and their value proposition.”

The chairperson also thanked the national government, Safa (South African Football Association), the Gauteng government, City of Johannesburg, and City of Ekurhuleni and City of Tshwane municipalities for their support in enabling the establishment and success of the PSL bio-bubble.

The new PSL Executive Committee:

Dr Irvin Khoza (Chairman) (Orlando Pirates)
Kaizer Motaung (Kaizer Chiefs)
Mato Madlala (Golden Arrows)
John Comitis (Cape Town City)
Stanley Matthews (SuperSport United)
David Thidiela (Black Leopards)
Dr Rejoice Simelane (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Robert Benadie (Stellenbosch Football Club).

Exit mobile version