DURBAN - TS Galaxy owner Tim Sukazi refuses to confirm rumours that he is interested in buying the status of Premier Soccer League outfit Bloemfontein Celtic, but his comments have hinted strongly that there are talks going on between him and the Free State club.
Speaking to Independent Media this week, Sukazi said he preferred not to entertain speculation at this stage, but did not deny the rumours.
Galaxy are campaigning in the GladAfrica Championship and are the reigning champions of the Nedbank Cup. The club was formed 20 months ago, but have already made a huge impact on South African football.
When quizzed about his reported interest in a PSL team, Sukazi indicated that he wouldn’t let an opportunity pass him by if PSL status was on offer.
“It is still too early to speak about this matter if I may say the truth. I prefer to talk about things that have been done and concluded. I don’t know who is spreading this rumour. At this stage, I prefer not to say anything,” Sukazi, who is a lawyer by profession, answered without giving away too much.
It is public knowledge that Celtic are struggling financially and the owners of the Mangaung outfit have been looking for a willing buyer since last season.
There were reports that the Phunya Sele Sele diehards were not happy with the proposed sale and had demanded that the club should keep Mangaung as its base regardless of where a new owner came from.
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Asked if he would take an opportunity to buy PSL status if one of the clubs were to put it up for sale in the elite league, Sukazi replied: “That question applies to me and any other chairman that is not in the PSL. If you can ask any chairman in the NFD, ABC Motsepe League or SAB League if they want to buy a PSL status if an opportunity presented itself, they will tell you yes, they would love to.
“But it all depends on whether you can afford it. That’s when it is not easy for a lot of people. As for the rumours of me buying Celtic, I don’t want to say anything.”
Galaxy rose to prominence last term after beating Kaizer Chiefs to be crowned Nedbank Cup champions at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
“There’s something special about this TS Galaxy team,” Sukazi said with pride.
“Maybe those are really the signs of where we belong (that Galaxy are associated with a Premiership status). We defeated one of the most successful teams in South Africa in a cup final at Moses Mabhida Stadium. When you play Chiefs at Mabhida, you have a very slim chance of succeeding. They are ruthless there.
"But we defied the odds and beat Chiefs. As a result, we created history. We did something that was never done in South African football - a team from GladAfrica winning the cup against a PSL club. We were using all South African-born players. That is not normal. We may not see that again in our lifetime,” Sukazi elaborated.
Although Sukazi hasn’t officially disclosed his interest in a PSL status to the public, a source close to one of the two clubs has revealed to Independent Media that the talks are ongoing but no agreement has been reached.
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