KEVIN MCCALLUM: Iron Duke Khoza’s PSL bid shows bigmanism rules

On Wednesday, a man with his face covered with what we called a PPE (personal protection equipment) during Covid-19, announced that the winner of the 2024/25 Betway Premiership would get R20m.

Who was that masked man? Irvin Khoza, the chair of the PSL, owner of Pirates, is the man with the iron mask, the Iron Duke of football. A ruler of mostly all he observes, the lone ranger at the helm of the PSL since 2003 and, at 76, he is running unopposed for another four-year term as chair.

He will be 80 when that term ends. By most accounts, the PSL would not be where it is now had it not been for the efforts of Khoza and Kaizer Motaung. Others say it is time for him to allow someone younger to take over. A piece in the Sunday World earlier this year suggested Khoza’s family had asked him not to run and be happily retired in the VIP box at Orlando Stadium.

Khoza was cryptic about whether he would run at PSL HQ on Wednesday, neither confirming nor denying, saying it would be the will of the PSL executive. It is unlikely they will not confirm him as chair again. It would be embarrassing if the Iron Duke lost a one-horse race, and no one embarrasses the Iron Duke.

SuperSport United boss Stan Matthews, seen as a possible replacement, told the Daily Maverick that replacing Khoza would not be easy: “In today’s culture, people want change and want to see it quickly. With this one, we have to be careful.”

Fourth term

Careful indeed. People tread softly around some leaders, particularly those who work the politics of sport with such a deft hand. Khoza is a leader who works in the shadows, his longevity a result of being in charge of a league that he described on Wednesday as “benevolent”.

Danny Jordaan has been president of the SA Football Association (Safa) since 2013. He is 73 and wants to stay for a fourth term. Just about everyone outside Safa House wants him gone, but he keeps getting nominated. In the US, the Orange One is president yet again. Vladimir Putin is president for life in Russia. Jacob Zuma is still noodling around power circles at 82. Gianni Infantino is a Sepp-Blatter clone and Blatter followed in the corrupt and powerful shoes of João de Havelange. He learnt well.

Issa Hayatou was president of CAF for nigh on 30 years. Havelange led Fifa for 24 years and 31 days, Blatter for 17 years and 122 days, Infantino has been in situ for eight years and 240 days.

Why? How? WTF? Big Man Syndrome, or, as Wikipedia puts it, bigmanism, which “within the context of political science, refers to corrupt, autocratic and often totalitarian rule of countries by a single person”. It’s the cesspit of familiarity, fear, populism, obsequious followers, backhanders, benefactors and the need for power as an end to itself. Big Men are Big Men for themselves. They do not care for the little people, but, man, do they ever need their votes and desire their applause. It masks the dark arts of their reigns and hides their lies behind fake smiles.

Beautiful wall

Infantino was one of the first to toady up to The Convict: “We will have a great Fifa World Cup and a great Fifa Club World Cup in the US.” Infantino counts among his big mates the likes of Putin, the Emir of Qatar and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

This despite Small Hands doing his best to scupper the US-Mexico-Canada 2026 bid by threatening to build a “big beautiful wall” with Mexico and putting tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico.

“And yet, despite all of that, the United bid emerged successful in the vote at the Fifa Congress in the Russian capital Moscow at the beginning of the 2018 men’s World Cup. The United bid secured the support of 134 member associations, while 65 voted for the Moroccan bid. Iran voted for ‘none of the above’,” reported The Athletic.

Khoza described owning a PSL team as “puny business” on Wednesday as owners “invest money, but we don’t get returns on that investment — other people are making money off you”. Thus the benevolence of the monthly grant to teams of R2.5m, the only league in Africa to give such a grant.

“Clubs need to be guaranteed an X amount of money. It is not regulated by any rules [to award clubs monthly grants], it is done through the benevolence of the league — to strengthen the product,” said Khoza.

No regulations and no rules. Sounds like a good way to run things. Four more years. Four more tears.