CHAIRMAN PLEASED WITH PROGRESS, DETERMINED TO KEEP THE POSITIVE MOMENTUM GOING
14 September 2020
Maritzburg United chairman Farook Kadodia has looked back with general satisfaction at the recently completed Premier Soccer League (PSL) season.
The 2019/20 campaign brought with it its own unique challenges, mainly due to the coronavirus lockdown which was implemented at the end of March and the subsequent four month break before the season was completed.
Being a club with close ties to our fans and having made the Harry Gwala Stadium such a fortress meant that there was an extra challenge to be overcome, and although the Team of Choice did not end the season strongly, there was certainly cause for optimism.
Even more so when it is taken into account that the club flirted with relegation just one season ago but then went on to finish seventh in the league and also made the Telkom Knockout final.
Overall there were several positives.
"It was a good turnaround, and all parties played a role and a good job was done," the Chairman stated.
"From the board’s side, we fully supported the coach, quite a few new signings were made. And what was important in fighting relegation [at the end of the previous season] was to have a complete commitment from the fans.
"And the whole brand also grew stronger; the fact that we went to the Telkom Knockout final was also evidence of the work which has been done.
"Yes we were very happy with the league position. One must also understand that there was so much expectations from the people around us after the way we excelled in the February-March period, in essence going into the bubble was not good for us."
Club management is now working hard to ensure that everything is in place to enjoy a successful 2020/21 campaign. That of course also involves player recruitment.
"We will make every effort to keep our best players, that’s our policy," the Chairman added. "But we also don’t want to stand in the way of players who feel they want to advance their careers elsewhere.
"We will definitely beef up the squad. We want to have a team that is as competitive as possible and to keep on challenging, whether it's in the cup or a strong top eight position in the league.
"We need six or seven new players. Our squad is quite thin and you must understand that Siyanda Xulu left, Miguel Timm, Gabriel Nyoni and Yusuf Jappie are no longer part of the squad, so that has left a bit of a hole.
"We would like to cement our position every season in the top five, that is our goal. Then something can be seen for all our investment. At the moment it's tough to attract a sponsor because it’s difficult when there are regular fights against relegation."
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