PSL elections – At 76, Irvin Khoza is set for another four years as boss

South African Football Association president Danny Jordaan in Johannesburg on 8 May 2023. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

By Yanga Sibembe

1 Nov 2024

The Premier Soccer League made public its list of nominees for executive committee positions before the elections next month. Chairperson Irvin Khoza is running unopposed.

A famous quote attributed to Kenyan lawyer and activist Patrick Lumumba reads something like: “Time limits are good. No matter how good a dancer you are, it is important to know when to leave the stage.”

This is true across numerous spheres of life. However, it is even more true in positions of power and leadership — where important decisions are made in relation to the direction of an entity.

Hence there will be some eyebrows raised, as well as concern at the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) announcement that current chairperson Irvin Khoza will run unopposed for the position at the 23 November 2024 elections.

The 76-year-old, who also doubles up as Orlando Pirates’ chairperson, has been at the helm of the PSL since 2003. In that period, he has been at the forefront of a number of exceptional moments of growth for the PSL. This includes helping to secure the 2007 broadcast rights deal with Multichoice, which was worth just over R1-billion.

A number of major sponsors which work with the league, from MTN to Nedbank, Carling Black Label and most recently Betway – would probably cite Khoza as a major influence towards the formation of these relationships.

Even when the second tier of South African soccer lost GladAfrica as a headline sponsor due to the latter’s financial constraints, it was Khoza’s influence that led to the Motsepe Foundation filling that gap at short notice.

“I picked up the phone and spoke to (Patrice) Motsepe. Some of the executives at the PSL didn’t know about this because I wasn’t sure whether it would succeed,” Khoza said in 2022, when the foundation was formally revealed as a sponsor of the championship.

It is because of such sway that many believe Khoza is the closest thing to irreplaceable in the position he has held for the past 21 years, as PSL executive committee member and Cape Town City owner John Comitis told Daily Maverick recently.

“There are two or three candidates who would be capable of stepping in there. But it’s never going to be an easy pass. The bar is set high,” Comitis said.

The level of experience coming from Dr Khoza is incomparable. He’s constantly come up with solutions for how to keep improving the league. So, it’s a tough act to follow.

“The level of experience coming from Dr Khoza is incomparable. He’s constantly come up with solutions for how to keep improving the league. So, it’s a tough act to follow. But time will tell what should happen.”

Though Khoza is poised for another four-year tenure as PSL boss, the fact is that he will not be in this post forever. So, the question is whether he has done enough over the years to share his knowledge and expertise with potential successors.

Succession planning

PSL election Danny Jordaan, president of the South African Football Association, at Safa House in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 8 May 2023. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

Of course, just like South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan, Khoza has always said that he has remained in his position with the support of the PSL board of governors, which is made up of representatives from all 32 member clubs.

Jordaan, 73, is currently into his third term as Safa president after being re-elected in 2022. He said that those who voted for him wanted to ensure that he had an adequate succession plan for when he might call it quits in 2026 – the year in which his new term will come to an end.

“That’s one of the reasons (some) members said ‘you can’t just drop the ball and go. You must have a succession plan.’ I heard them and we agreed. It is not as if I woke up one morning and said I want a third term,” Jordaan said.

“That is far from the truth, I had accepted that I’d made my contribution. But I must now manage the vision for 2030 and put a plan in place,” he said.

Both Jordaan and Khoza have played important roles in the progression of South Africa soccer. But as per Lumumba’s assertion, they should have voluntarily vacated their posts a long time ago. DM

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Succession planning