Johannesburg – David Mogashoa, the Swallows FC chairperson and the man behind the revival of one of the oldest clubs in SA football history, has clariffied the burning issue of why the PSL outfit is not using the traditional name Moroka Swallows.
Mogashoa said the club was waiting for the outcome of a Safa correspondence to Fifa clarifying the issue of an outstanding debt owed to Brazilian player Igor Alves before the club can start using the name Moroka Swallows.
“The fact that there is a player who is owed does not involve us as the new owners. The matter of monies owed should be resolved by the old owners … that is why we are waiting for clarity from Safa because the Igor Alves matter is now being handled by Fifa,” said Mogashoa.
Swallows FC have bounced back from the rungs of the fourth tier of local football to become a formidable force in the DStv Premiership.
They are yet to lose a match since the start of the season.
“We bought the rights to the name Moroka Swallows when the club was liquidated. We decided to stick to the name Swallows FC because it had been the name we used when campaigning in the ABC Motsepe League [fourth division],” said Mogashoa.
“I, as the chairman of the club, own the rights to the name. We have written to Safa and in turn the national association communicated our request to Fifa. We are just waiting for the opportune time. I decided that we should continue with the name Swallows FC for now.”
The delay in the name change has caused consternation and confusion among the older and the younger generation of fans, with many, even broadcasters still referring to the outfit as Moroka Swallows. Mogashoa, a businessman and owner of Bahwiti Investments, together with Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi, were the brains behind its revival back to the upper echelons of local football. Though Mogashoa did not want to reveal how much they bought the club for, it is an open secret that they paid (former Moroka Swallows boss Leon) Prins close to R25-million, and in 2019 Swallows bought the status of Maccabi FC.
In their first season campaigning in the first division the club was promoted to the Premiership last year.
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