Baroka warned relegation will not erase player debts after DRC ruling

The Premier Soccer League’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) has ordered Baroka FC to pay former player Mothusi Gopane all outstanding salaries, together with interest, after ruling against the Limpopo-based club.

The decision has prompted a firm warning from the Football Union of South Africa (FUSA), which says clubs cannot avoid their contractual responsibilities by dropping into the amateur divisions.

Baroka, who were relegated from the Motsepe Foundation Championship at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, are due to compete in the ABC Motsepe League this season. The club has indicated that it intends to challenge the DRC award through SAFA arbitration.

FUSA secretary general Taelo Motloung confirmed the ruling and said his organisation would continue to pursue every available legal route to ensure players receive money owed to them.

“We’ve concluded the case involving Mothusi Gopane and Baroka FC. On the 13th of August, we got the award that the club must pay the boy,” Motloung told KickOff.

He said relegation would no longer allow clubs to escape financial claims made by players, adding that FUSA was prepared to use the courts to enforce the DRC’s decision.

“That thing of clubs getting away with crime just because they were relegated to the amateur ranks no longer exists. Once you get relegated as a club, we now go to court and reinforce the order, and your assets are attached to recover whatever you are owing.”

Motloung also confirmed that Baroka had shown an intention to take the matter to SAFA arbitration.

“But the club has shown an intention to appeal through SAFA arbitration,” he added.

The dispute involving Gopane and Baroka follows the player’s sour departure from the club and his subsequent report to the PSL. The DRC ruling now requires Baroka to settle the salary arrears and additional interest, although the club’s planned appeal means the matter has not yet reached its final stage.

FUSA’s position represents a broader warning to clubs throughout the South African football system. Relegation from a professional competition does not remove existing obligations to players, and clubs remain liable for contractual commitments even after moving into the amateur ranks.

The union has made clear that, if necessary, it will seek a court order to reinforce the DRC award and attach club assets in an effort to recover unpaid amounts.

Baroka’s proposed SAFA arbitration appeal will determine whether the DRC decision is upheld or revisited. Until that process is completed, the Gopane case remains unresolved, but FUSA’s message to clubs is unequivocal: relegation is not a means of avoiding player debts.