Money issues the main factor behind Leopards relegation

Black Leopards relegation to the third tier of South African Football might have upset many, but, some people say it was coming for the club following their lack of proper running of the team and not paying players salaries.

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A source at the club has revealed that Leopards were bound to get relegated this season because of their empty promises to the players.

It has been revealed that many players at the club were demoralised by the lack of salary payments. The insider says some of the players at the club went months without getting paid. That eventually led to the players being demoralised and they didn’t see what was the need to play or fight for the club.

Money problems have plagued Lidoda Duvha for years now, and many left the club because of that. This season, it is said that the club’s management realised the relegation threat later on in the season and there was nothing they could do to prevent it.

“The problem is that there are lots of people in Venda who are making a living out of Leopards playing professional football. Those people are disappointed now because they won’t be able to make ends meet. But the blame is on the team’s management, they have been treating players badly. The problem is the lack of communication,” said the source.

“They knew that they had money issues, but they didn’t tell the guys. They (players) only found out about it in the media. A lot of players were just waiting for the season to end to leave the club.”

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Relegated

Leopards were relegated to the ABC Motsepe League side with two games remaining to the end of the season. Lidoda Duvha had a terrible campaign in the NFD with the club only managing to record two wins in their last 28 matches.

They also registered 10 draws and 14 losses in the process, earning only 22 points, putting them at the bottom of the log. They have been relegated along with neighbours Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila to the third tier of South African Football.