POPA EA IPOPA ...As new Rollers committee embarks in massive rebuilding phase
The newly appointed interim committee of Township Rollers FC has inherited a club in deep financial distress, admitting that they took over a team burdened by serious debt. Their immediate challenge includes addressing the fact that players have not been paid their salaries for the last two months. The committee is currently awaiting the full financial handover detailing the extent of the club's liabilities, with their main focus now concentrated on urgently securing an investor to pull the struggling giants out of the current financial crisis.
Over the weekend, an emergency meeting was held in Palapye for Township Rollers FC, which culminated in the original committee stepping down and a new interim committee being appointed to lead the club for the next year. This new committee is chaired by Nelson Onkabetse.
Speaking to this publication this week, the team's Secretary General, Ofentse Mosikeemang, confirmed the gravity of the situation. He stated that the report presented at the meeting made it evident the team is currently in serious debt. Their primary goal now is to immediately seek a partner or investor who can rescue the team from this critical crisis, which has notably resulted in players going unpaid for months. Mosikeemang added that they are yet to be officially handed all the team's financials to determine the full extent of the debt, but the most pressing issue, players not being paid for two months, was the main factor that led the members to remove the previous committee.
'Since the club parted ways with its former financier, Jagdish Shah, we have struggled to retain a stable investor, and the team has been in continuous financial difficulty. Our immediate priority is to find sustainable financial assistance. If we secure an investor who is willing to provide that assistance and is seeking 100% ownership, we will present the full contract and its arrangements to the Township Rollers members for them to make the final decision on how to proceed,' he said.
'The good news is that we already know where to look for sponsors, and negotiations are currently underway. Even before we officially took over, there were parties who showed interest in helping the club, and we are now actively pursuing those leads to bring the necessary support to the team,' he added.
Mosikeemang admitted that they currently do not have a definitive timeline when the players will be paid, but he assured that it is an issue they are fully aware of and are actively working to resolve, alongside settling other outstanding matters. He indicated that it appears the team has been acquiring debt over the past months, reportedly even paying players using borrowed money, leaving a significant amount to be settled. He stressed that there is no bad blood between the new committee and the outgoing one, as they are all members of Township Rollers. They plan to sit down with the former leaders for a smooth transition and would be happy to pursue any potential partners the outgoing committee may have already identified.