Port Elizabeth – The ongoing uncertainty about the future of the Southern Kings franchise remains, despite a secret visit to South Africa by a potential American business partner.
Businessman Douglas Schoninger was in Cape Town at the weekend to meet with SA Rugby president Mark Alexander about taking up a 74 percent majority stake in the Kings, which is run by SA Rugby at the moment after the professional arm of the franchise was dissolved following financial problems.
The Weekend Post and Herald newspapers reported that Schoninger – who is in charge of the US Pro Rugby North America – flew in from New York to discuss the Kings at a Cape Town hotel.
Alexander, Schoninger and another party associated with him, Tony McKeever, refused to comment on the outcome of the meeting. McKeever said that a “news black-out” was agreed to due to the sensitive nature of the talks. But one of the liquidators of the Kings commercial arm, Danie Acker, said that negotiations are taking place.
“I am currently not at liberty to give detailed information,” he said. “Yes, we are talking to interested parties. “We are positive that a deal is possible, but I cannot disclose names or more than that. Hopefully, we will be able to give more information by next week.”
Alexander said previously that the increase in private stakeholding in provincial unions to a maximum of 74 percent had “attracted a lot of interest, both locally and abroad”.
“We’ve asked them to hold off until we’ve put the model in place, but the guys want to talk now,” Alexander said. It is believed that the problem for Schoninger, though, is that he couldn’t be given guarantees that the Kings would be in Super Rugby until 2020 at least and that the EP Kings would play in the Currie Cup Premier Division.
Controlling body Sanzaar will only meet in March to make a decision about the future structure of Super Rugby. The Kings begin their 2017 campaign against the Jaguares on February 25 in Port Elizabeth.