Reports: Bloemfontein Celtic sold for R60million

by Phumzile Ngcatshe

Saturday May 26, 2018. 10:49

With news that Bloemfontein Celtic has been put up for sale, the club’s owner Max Tshabalala has reportedly sold the club for R60 million.

Tshabalala shocked the football fraternity last week, announcing that the Premier Soccer League club is up for sale and he is looking for an owner within the Free State province.

The Siwelele owner revealed that he is selling the club because he is struggling to cope with the financial demands of running a football team.

Celtic and recently-crowned Nedbank Cup champions Free State Stars are the only clubs from the Free State province playing top-flight football.

However, reports are doing the rounds that the club has been sold for R60million to a Kimberley-based owner, but the PSL has since refuted the claims.

“As you know looking at the history of the club, all the previous owners of the club were from the Free State and kept the team here," Tshabalala told the SABC.

“The reason I have gone public is because I was looking to keep the team in the Free State, especially in Bloemfontein.

“I’m looking at somebody who can maintain the trend and keep the team where it has been through the years.

“But if there are no offers from here, we will sell to those coming from outside our province because unfortunately at this stage the three offers that we have are from outside.”

Moreover, reports were rife that the club has struggled to pay players and that coach Veselin Jelusic could leave since the club has failed to pay him for two months.