Marumo Gallants chairman Abram Sello has made it clear that the emergence of Siwelele FC in Bloemfontein doesn’t threaten Bahlabane Ba Ntwa, saying they want to “emulate” the Soweto derby.
Siwelele came into the picture after sport minister Gayton McKenzie’s son, Calvin Le John, bought SuperSport United’s Premiership status last week, pending the league’s approval.
Le John wanted to resurrect Bloemfontein Celtic but couldn’t use that name as it belongs to businessman Edward “Eddie” Modise, who also admitted that he wants to buy a second-tier franchise to revive Celtic as well.
“Now we have a situation of other clubs emerging in the area and we’re very much happy. There’s a Soweto derby and we want to emulate that particular derby with Siwelele and become the best as well,” Sello said at a presser to officially introduce their new coach, Alexandre Lafitte, alongside new recruits at Sandton’s Sky Hotel, on Monday morning.
“We want to learn from our big brothers Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates and have something similar, where fans would share love. We have seen fans of both Chiefs and Pirates sharing love during the Soweto derby and that healthy rivalry is always nice, so we welcome Siwelele.”