Mashikinya says South Africa must protect clubs’ history and identity

Former PSL midfielder Given Mashikinya says South African football must do more to preserve the identity, culture and legacy of its clubs, after claiming that much of his own playing history has disappeared.

The 35-year-old spent a long career with several clubs, but four of the seven professional sides he represented have either been sold and renamed, relocated or ceased to exist as entities.

Mpumalanga Black Aces, Bloemfontein Celtic, Maritzburg United and Royal AM are among the clubs for which Mashikinya played. Each has since undergone significant change, with Royal AM no longer existing in its previous form.

The left-footed midfielder believes frequent changes of ownership are erasing important parts of South African football history. He has called for the system governing club sales to be reconsidered, using European football as a comparison.

“Well, this thing of purchasing and selling of clubs, I think the system should change,” Mashikinya told Soccer Laduma.

“We need to look at the best football in the world is played in Europe, and we don’t have to lie to ourselves and try to tell ourselves that we are the best. Yes, we are, but there’s a lot of things that we need to improve.”

‘They respect the culture’

Mashikinya said ownership changes in Europe generally do not result in clubs being removed from their traditional locations or losing their names.

“You go to Manchester United, it’s located in England, in Manchester, so somebody that comes and buys the club, it remains in the city, it remains named, it remains the culture, you can’t change it,” he said.

“So they respect it. So the only thing that changes is the title deed, where the chairman leaves and there’s a new boss.”

He contrasted that approach with the treatment of established South African clubs, pointing to Bloemfontein Celtic as an example of a side whose identity and history disappeared following a sale.

“But here in South Africa, you find teams like Bloemfontein Celtic, it gets sold, all of the history goes away,” Mashikinya said.

“It’s not there. You get Swallows now, it gets destroyed, it’s something else now.”

He also cited Bidvest Wits and SuperSport United as historic South African clubs that have been sold or had their identities altered.

‘My football history is almost deleted’

Mashikinya said the changes had affected his own career record, making it difficult to trace the clubs that helped shape it.

“So now, my football history is almost deleted,” he said. “Because if you want to ask me, the club that I played first, Mpumalanga Black AcesCape Town City is not there anymore. It went back to the NFD.

“Now, you talk about Maritzburg United, it’s not there, it’s now Durban City. There’s a club that I played for, they don’t exist anymore. Even Royal AM is in Eswatini.”

He urged future owners to preserve each club’s relationship with its supporters and local community.

“You buy a club, you respect the location, you respect the stadium, you respect the community, you leave it where it is,” Mashikinya said.

“You follow it… it doesn’t follow you. So I just feel like this is one thing we need to change in South Africa, that we need to respect the legacies of the club and not destroy what people took so long to create.”