Two stars fell from the skies of football on Monday, after Ria Stars and Free State Stars accepted R8-million packages from the Premier Soccer League.
Having been bought out, both clubs will, from now on, cease to exist.
A source within the PSL said that earlier, the PSL had offered African Wanderers a payout, but would only offer them R4.5-million as a newly promoted side.
Wanderers refused and so Free State Stars were apparently offered the R8-million deal instead.
Last week, the PSL announced their decision to cut the league from 18 to 16 sides, and acting chairman Irvin Khoza on Monday finalised the deals with the side from Pietersburg and Mike Mokoena's team from the Free State.
South African football has been plagued in past seasons by a packed fixture calendar, and recently the PSL has also run into financial difficulties, at one stage even failing to pay on time clubs' monthly grants of R264 000. So the PSL's decision to cut teams appears to have two main reasons - to reduce fixtures to curb player exhaustion, and to make their league more affordable.
As a result of this decision, the league campaign will start two weeks late, on the weekend of August 17 and 18. A revised league draw was made on Monday at the PSL offices, and a fixture list is expected to be released this week.
Ria Stars came into the Premier Soccer League just two seasons ago under the ownership of Ria Ledwaba. They made an instant impact on the league, making the Top Eight and beating Chiefs in the Rothmans Cup in their first season.
But last season Stars struggled, and were hit financially after failing to secure a sponsor. Under Styles Phumo, they managed to stave off relegation, but the financial burden of running the club was, in the end, too much for Ledwaba and she accepted the payout.
"I had no choice," said Ledwaba on Monday.
"I do not have a sponsor to run the team."
"This is the most difficult day of my life. It is like going home and your family is not there any more."
Ria Stars' main expenses appear to have been player salaries, where the Polokwane side ran up a wage bill of R386 000 a month.
With overall monthly expenses adding up to over R500 000, the PSL grant was covering barely half of Ria Stars' expenses.
"A trip to Cape Town and Durban in one month would cost R100 000," said Ledwaba by way of example. "And the PSL took this out of your grant."
Ledwaba said she had tried everything to secure a sponsor, and implied there was still racism in football when it comes to sponsorship.
"With Total, they said we had given them the best presentation," she said. "And then they go and give the sponsorship to Ajax and Swallows. I believe it is because they (Ajax and Swallows) are white-owned. All teams without sponsors are black owned and from rural areas. "
Ria Stars, of course, must now sell off all their players. Ledwaba said that this was already "80 per cent done, and I am hopeful that in two weeks' time I will have sold the rest."
Free State Stars, meanwhile, have been around in the top flight of football for many years, winning the Coca-Cola Cup in 1994, and under coach Roy Barreto, were more than holding their own in the PSL. Barreto yesterday refused to comment on the situation.
"It is premature for us to comment because we have not been informed officially," he said.
But the situation is official, and for players like Bafana Bafana's Jimmy Kauleza, and a talented coach like Barreto, it will be a case of looking for a new club from Wednesday.