Sad end! Premier Soccer League's Board of Governors votes to expel Shauwn Mkhize’s Royal AM

The Premier Soccer League's Board of Governors has on Thursday voted to terminate Royal AM's membership with immediate effect.

Representatives from the 31 professional teams converged at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg and eventually sealed Shauwn Mkhize’s club's fate. The PSL’s executive committee last week, under its chair Irvin Khoza of Orlando Pirates, recommended termination of Royal AM's membership.

Thwihli Thwahla found themselves in a tight corner after they failed to honour their matches at the start of the year.

Their situation was made worse after they were placed under South African Revenue Service curatorship over a tax debt. The tax battle between Royal AM's owner and the state forced PSL to suspend the matches involving the KZN outfit, which was also excluded from the Nedbank Cup games.

Then last week, the league's executive committee made recommendations to the board of governors that Thwihli Thwahla be expelled. The board consists of 16 teams from the top tier and another 16 from the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC). This is the top decision-making body of the professional league in the country.

The expulsion of Royal AM has had an impact on the title race between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.

Royal AM played 11 games in PSL, and all the points gained by them and against them have been consequently cancelled.

As a result, Sundowns will see their points reduce by three as their win over Royal AM is nullified. The gap at the top is now 12 points. Polokwane City, AmaZulu, Golden Arrows, and TS Galaxy are the other sides that collected three points against the now-expelled Thwihli Thwahla.

After their expulsion, eyes are now keen to see whether Royal AM will drop to the second tier or if they are out of the PSL fraternity altogether.

Their last action was a league match against TS Galaxy, which they lost 3-1, on December 29, 2024.