NSL Elections: New faces replace Comitis and Benadie

Long-time soccer administrator, Cape Town City owner John Comitis, and Stellenbosch FC boss Rob Benadie could not garner enough votes to continue as National Soccer League (NSL) executive committee members.

At Wednesday’s NSL Quadrennial General Meeting at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Cape Town Spurs boss Comitis and Stellenbosch FC CEO Benadie who served on the committee previously, made way for Johnny-come-latelys. Another seasoned executive committee member David Thidiela of Black Leopards made himself unavailable.

The National Soccer League held a successful Quadrennial General Meeting and elected a new Executive Committee.

Click for the full report of the meeting.

— Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) November 13, 2024

The NSL general body, usually made up of the representatives (usually chairpersons) of the 32 clubs (16 Premiership, 16 First Division) voted for Tim Sukazi of TS Galaxy, Sifiso Biyela of Richards Bay FC and Johnny Mogaladi of Polokwane City.

Together with chairpersons - Irvin Khoza (Orlando Pirates), Kaizer Motaung (Kaizer Chiefs), Mato Madlala (Golden Arrows), Tim Sukazi, Rejoice Simelane (Mamelodi Sundowns), Sifiso Biyela (Richards Bay), Stanley Matthews (SuperSport United) and Johnny Mogaladi (Polokwane City).

Comitis’ absence is a major surprise particularly because he was regarded as one of the administrators who could lead the NSL if Khoza stood down. Benadie has been a breath of fresh air since Stellenbosch FC was promoted to the Premiership in 2019.

However, Comitis’ fall from grace in NSL circles probably stems from the FNB sponsorship he secured for the club a few months ago. The guardians of the DStv Premiership, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) told City they cannot display FNB on their jersey since they do not have the league's approval.

Once Comitis approached the court, the PSL was ordered to accept the sponsorship and that FNB could be emblazoned on the kit.

The PSL argued that the FNB sponsorship was in a conflict of interest with one of the league’s biggest sponsors, Nedbank, who sponsors the Nedbank Cup.

That decision would have been a crushing blow to Khoza, aka ‘The Iron Duke’ since the PSL under his watch could not impose its will on a member club.

Benadie, on the other hand, has been an outstanding administrator in the past three seasons his youthful club has won an assortment of trophies in the local and international arena.

Stellenbosch is the reigning Premier League Next Generation Cup champion following a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in London. Previously, Stellenbosch finished Premier League Next Generation Cup runners-up in Mumbai.

In the past three seasons, the PSL’s ‘Big Three’ - Sundowns, Pirates and Chiefs, have bought many players from the Winelands club, and that bears a record of the fine work the club has done to develop players.

Benadie wished the incoming executive committee well and said elections were “sometimes more of a numbers game“.

“It was a privilege to serve the sport, and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” said Benadie. “I am a bit disappointed not to be elected since I believe in most cases, one becomes more effective in a second term.

“With my strategic business skills and 24 years of high-performance sports leadership experience, I looked forward to increasing my influence and impact.

“One never knows how these types of elections will work out. Sometimes, it is more of a numbers game rather than based on competence that is required for well-structured governance.

“One never knows how these types of elections will work out. Sometimes, it is more of a numbers game rather than based on competence that is required for well-structured governance. The competence feeds into the structures for the clubs’ on and off-field performances on several fronts.

“I wish the chair and newly elected exco all the very best as it is an important term given that all sponsorships will be renegotiated and our broadcaster is welcoming a new shareholder.

“I fully trust the chair to lead the league through this time and will continue to support wherever I am needed. For now, I continue to focus on growing the SFC brand on and off the field.”