JOHANNESBURG – PSL chairman, Irvin Khoza, has warned acting chief executive Mato Madlala to be careful not to be abused having been in the position longer than previous CEOs.
Madlala, who is also the owner of Golden Arrows, has served as acting CEO for four years, longer than Brand de Villiers, Zola Majavu and Stan Matthews - combined. Only Kjetil Siem and Trevor Phillips have lasted in the role longer than Madlala.
“As a chairman, I am on record saying that we need to have a new CEO but the clubs are making it difficult for me because they find comfort (in her presence) and I am asked that question (of why she has been acting for this long),” Khoza said. “Let’s make a declaration, once and for all. Let us not be half pregnant.
Let’s decide, either we take her as CEO full time and she relinquishes her position at Arrows, or we get a CEO because we can’t have it this way.
We can’t have acting, acting! She is doing a fantastic job, but it’s also not good for her. We demand so much of her time, and she is a person who is hands on and to be the CEO is not an easy job.
“It is very important to make a determination. The clubs themselves are making it difficult for me because they have come and said she is doing a fantastic job. We should have had a CEO at the start of the season, but all the time the voices are saying something different which makes it difficult for me.
She is an able person, but let us not abuse her because sooner than later she will be abused for the wrong reasons. I made her aware, that be careful and don’t overstay because when things go sour you are going to be blamed for the wrong reasons.”
The league’s comfortable state, including recording R1billion in revenue last week, means that not many people will complain about Madlala’s competency, the only issue that has arisen is a conflict of interest.
Mato Madlala, who is also the owner of Golden Arrows, has served as acting CEO for four years. Photo: Nqobile Mbonambi/ANA
But the league’s pressing issue isn’t Madlala’s position, it is the proposed amendments on the broadcasting regulations by Icasa. Icasa plans to classify PSL games under matches of national interest that have to be shown on free-to-air TV.
The PSL argued against this, saying that it would affect their revenue stream as most of their funding comes from their broadcasting deal with pay-TV channel SuperSport. None of the free-to-air broadcasters can match SuperSport’s financial strength, which means that should these regulations be passed the PSL’s finances would be heavily affected. Khoza threatened that they would shut down the league should these amendments be passed.
“We are going to get the outcome on the Icasa matter in March 2020,” Khoza said.