Santos FC may have fallen from grace, but there’s no denying this club has too much history for it to vanish from South African football structures.
This is exactly why the club’s chairman and owner, Goolam Allie, has vowed to fight its expulsion from Safa Western Cape’s ABC Motsepe League until the bitter end.
“Yes, we are going to fight this thing tooth and nail,” Allie explained to No Bones with Jones. “Yes, we are a club with a rich history, and we obviously fought through so many struggles, and this is just another struggle we have to fight,” Allie added.
The sad reality is that all the ABC Motsepe clubs have the common problem of non-payment from the province, yet they do not have the ability and maturity to stand together, as it affects all the clubs.
Clubs have constantly complained about the threats and lack of transparency and two-way communication of the current administration at Safa WC, but all fear expulsion.
That Santos always has to put itself in the firing line and stand up for its rights and principles to fight this battle single-handedly, shows the cowardly behaviour of the rest of the clubs. In fact, one can draw striking parallels between what is playing out in the football landscape and that of the society at large which is plagued by violence on a daily basis.
I mean, the same attitude is projected, “if it does not affect me, why should I stand up and make a noise.” And this is exactly what the powers that be exploits and thrive as they are fully aware the clubs are so embroiled in jealousy and hatred amongst one another, and because of this so-called “crab mentality” (where the one pulls down the other), it allows those who have been elected in power to do as they please and get away with murder.
This also further exacerbates the already toxic nature, which has consumed most clubs in this league and even lower down as well.
