After being demoted from the DStv Premiership, all of South Africa’s Maritzburg United’s current employees were laid off, according to club chairman Farook Kadodia.
After 15 years in the highest division, The Team of Choice was demoted to the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
They drew 1-1 with Mamelodi Sundowns on the final day of the season to finish 15th. They had a chance to go through the PSL Promotional Play-offs, but they were unable to defeat Cape Town Spurs in that encounter.
Kadodia said in a statement after the game that he “felt betrayed” by some of the players.
In addition to losing a number of its players, Maritzburg also lost its head coach, Fadlu Davids, and his technical staff. Davids has since been named Josef Zinnbauer’s new assistant at Raja Club Athletic.
Kadodia said the club’s leadership had to begin a retrenchment process because they will earn significantly less money from the Premier Soccer League.
“The retrenchment was done purely because of the club playing in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, the grant is not the same, and the money is small,” he told iDiski Times.
“So we have to retrench everyone and re-employ in the event that we are running the business again.
“It is not normal business practice. You can’t sustain by paying the same wages as it was in the PSL top flight, but we have to re-employ.”
The mass clear-out resulted in staff member, Prince Shabalala taking to social media to share an angry open letter with former coach Davids.