Konki, who is International Boxing Federation lightweight contender Ali Funeka’s business manager, said he would not have a problem being the club’s new owner after United owners, Izingwe Holdings’ decision to get rid of the club.

Izingwe Holdings threw in the towel after United’s failure to return to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) next season.

“Izingwe Holdings regrets to announce that Bay United Football Club will immediately cease conducting business while beginning an extensive process that may lead to the sale of the club,” a statement released by the club said.

“I’m going to speak to my legal advisers in Port Elizabeth about whether to get involved at Bay United or not. I could be interested in the club as many people have called asking me to buy it,” said Konki.

Apart from the club’s failure to return to the PSL, the owners say there were other issues that prompted them to give up on Umlilo.

These included the PSL’s imposition of a R1.3 million liability following the club’s retrenchment of players at the end of the 2008/9 season.

Their unsuccessful attempts to get financial and other forms of sponsorship assistance from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the Eastern Cape provincial government and commercial sponsors, also contributed to Izingwe Holdings’ decision. “We will engage with all the creditors of the club, including the players. No final decision will be taken until discussions have been held with all relevant parties.

“We undertake to do our best to resolve this matter in the best interests of all parties,” said club boss Sipho Pityana.

Pityana tried to sell United to Konki after they were relegated from the PSL at the end of last season, but the deal fell through.

Pityana informed Konki last year that he was selling United for R15m, but the Johannesburg-based businessman said he was prepared to part with only R5m. “There was no way that I could pay that kind of money for a team that had just been relegated from the PSL.

“I was only prepared to pay R5m but I got no response after writing to Pityana indicating my interest,” said Konki.

- By MONWABISI JIMLONGO

source: Daily Dispatch

After playing one season in top-flight football, the club has revealed there are four prospective buyers for the First Division franchise, should management decide to sell. Both the coach, Khabo Zondo, and the players, whose contracts expire at the end of this month, nervously await a final announcement on the future of the club on May 27.

The club revealed that of the four prospective buyers Uitenhage businessman Butityi Konki was the only bidder who had indicated he would be willing to keep the club in the province. The other three bidders are from Gauteng and the Western Cape. At a board meeting at the weekend, Pityana revealed that R40-million had been invested over the past two years in the club, which has failed to remain in the Premier League.

Pityana expressed the club‘s disappointment at the lack of support from the local municipality and the provincial government over the past year.

“This is not the time to point fingers at anybody, but … we feel we were seriously let down by those entrusted with the responsibility of managing recreational public facilities like stadiums,” he said.

“There‘s no way of sustaining a professional football franchise in the Nelson Mandela metro without some serious infrastructural support and involvement by the local and provincial spheres of government.”

According to club spokesman Vuyo Mvoko, United paid up to R108000 to the EP Rugby Union to host each of the two Premiership home games it played a month. The club was also required to erect a temporary fence around the stadium as well as hire a huge security personnel contingent, at an additional cost of about R150000.

Municipal spokesman Kupido Baron came to the defence of the metro. “The municipality did extremely well in supporting the club. Bay United never paid a cent for the usage of the stadium.

“The municipality paid all the money that was owed – R1,5-million – and assisted with the security fencing – about R70000 per game. We have proof of these payments and invite anyone wanting to see the evidence to come to us.

“We take the development of soccer very seriously, and jumped at the opportunity when Bay got promotion, with the hope that they would perform.

“We are still committed to the development of soccer in the region. We will go out once again to canvas to bring back top-flight football to the metro,” he said.

Safa NMB president Johnson Kula called for the intervention of the sports ministry in the possible departure of Umlilo from the region.

“Such a move would have disastrous consequences for soccer, not only in Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch, but in the entire Eastern Cape Province.

“Bay United was well on its way to becoming a legacy builder for the entire province, not only providing opportunities for our budding young talent but also administrators and technical officials.

“ Safa will be contacting the Minister of Sport, Makhenkesi Stofile, the MEC of sport, as well as the Nelson Mandela metropolitan municipality.

“We would like to have urgent meetings with them to see what can be done to salvage the situation. Bay United can bounce back and return to the Premier League,” Kula said.

Losing the team could spell bad news for the new stadium, but Baron gave his assurance it would continue to see top football in the future. “That will not change. Obviously it won‘t be on as frequent a basis as in the past year.

“But we will continue hosting big matches like some of the PSL games, Bafana Bafana and the Vodacom Challenge which we will be hosting in June,” Baron said.

source: Weekend Post

A healthy 35 cars should be chasing the various championships, the field boosted irregularly by another dozen cars as they dip in and out of the championship as funds allow. Heading the race for the overall title chase that will start on Friday, March 13 with the Tour Natal will be the three-car VW Polo trio of defending champions Hergen Fekken/Pierre Arries, 2007 titleholders Jan Habig/Douglas Judd and 2006 champs Enzo Kuun/Guy Hodgson

. VW finished the 2008 season with a 1-2-3 – doing that again will be tough.

Toyota spent 2008 re-building its team after Serge Damseaux retired at the end of 2007 and developing an S2000 Auris. There were two unexpected but very welcome victories. Fekken and Arries, who won four times in 2008, have a new car to defend their title, with Habig and Kuun making do with what they had, but refurbished.

In the Toyota camp, Johnny Gemmell/Peter Marsh and Mark Cronje/Robert Paisley will take the fight to VW. The Toyota teams were ultra-competitive in 2008 but prone to mistakes and niggling mechanical issues

. The Auris, launched late in the year, showed it had the pace to fend off the Uitenhage challenge and this is where the real action will be this season – a five-way fight for an overall win on every outing.

Both brands have a number of S2000 private entries to add points towards the Manufacturers’ championship, won by Toyota these past 11 years. Leading them will be JP Damseaux and new co-driver Andre Vermeulen in their re-shelled Toyota RunX. Damseaux had his first career win in 2008.

He’ll be up against Fernando Rueda/Dave Lewkowicz in a new S2000 RunX. They were third overall on a recent Regional event that was won by Damseaux. Japie van Niekerk/Robin Houghton will return in another S2000 RunX. Van Niekerk finished third overall on his first outing in S2000 last year in KZN and became one of the season’s most consistent points-scorers.

VW has Theuns Joubert/Hennie Botes in a new S2000 Polo as well as the Rally Chicks, Lola and Megan Verlaque in the ex-Williams Polo as and when their African championship campaign allows them a local outing.

OUT OF THE WILDERNESS

Joubert is still relatively new to rallying and his progress will be watched. The Rally Chicks, on the other hand, were fourth overall in the recent Tanzanian Rally.

Class A7 will be back after a year in the wilderness led by defending champions Chris de Wit and Dean Redelinghuys in their RunX. The KZN pair are always there or thereabouts and should start the year with a bang on home soil but their biggest threat will come from Evan Hutchinson and new co-driver Elvene Coetzee.

They in turn will have young hotshot Stevan Wilken and Greg Gericke in a brand-new VW Polo in their mirrors. Wilken has been quick in the lower classes, if a little hairy.