‘It will come back to bite them!’ Stellies’ model to sell stars to Chiefs, Bucs & Downs questioned

Published on by Willis Sob

The Carling Knockout champions have been losing their stars to the big three which has been discouraged by ex-Urban Warriors striker.

Former Ajax Cape Town striker Nathan Paulse is not convinced Stellenbosch can sustain their top-four position in the South African top-flight football with their business model.

Since their promotion to the Premier Soccer League five years ago, Stellies have lost some top players. Kaizer Chiefs went for Sibongiseni Mthethwa, Zitha Kwinika, and Ashley du Preez. Mamelodi Sundowns signed Junior Mendieta and most recently Iqraam Rayners.

Their captain Deano van Rooyen has been signed by Soweto giants Orlando Pirates who are strengthening to stand a chance of challenging Masandawana for the league crown.

Are Stellies making a mistake?

The 42-year-old has now cast his doubt about the ability of the Stellies to continue selling their top players and at the same time deliver on the pitch.

“For how long can they sustain the actual model that they have and still be a top-four club? You can look at them and say Stellenbosch has probably put themselves among the top clubs with a model which will come back to bite them,” he said in his recent interview with iDiski Times.

“How they go about it is another thing and that obviously is down to squad depth, down to the recruitment, how well they have done that because look you don’t get a goal scorer like Rayners every other day.

Iqraam Rayners' contract details at Mamelodi Sundowns
Iqraam Rayners – Photo by Stellenbosch FC

“He is someone that has been built over time because you must remember he has also been away from Stellenbosch after he left them initially. But I’m sure even on the business side as well, I am sure if they agreed to the transfer then they had a contingency plan in place.

“You can look at them and say Stellenbosch has probably put themselves among the top clubs with a model that will come back to bite them.”

What did Stellies achieve last season?

In the 2023/24 campaign, Steve Barker helped Stellenbosch win the Carling Knockout – their first major trophy since getting promoted in the 2019 season.

They went on to reach the Nedbank Cup semi-final before being knocked out by Sundowns. However, they pushed for top places in the league and went on to finish fourth on the PSL table.

This season, they have already beaten TS Galaxy to qualify for the MTN8 semi-final where they will have an opportunity to avenge the loss to Sundowns.

Last weekend, they confirmed their place in the Caf Confederation Cup's second preliminary round after an 8-0 aggregate win over Nsingizini Hotspurs.

‘It will come back to bite them!’ Stellies’ model to sell stars to Chiefs, Bucs & Downs questioned

Willis Sob

Willis Sob is an experienced journalist who has been in the game since 2009, covering major assignments around the continent.
His hunger for African football is unmatched, always getting the best angles and facts to feed the fans and quench their thirst.