As he departs from the club, former Bloemfontein Celtic CEO Khumbulani Konco has revealed what he club needs if they are to survive the rigours of top-flight football in the country.

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Konco parts from the Mangaung outfit after 17 years, in which he served in various capacities, including being a player for three seasons.

But it all came to an abrupt end when Konco was retrenched by the club this month, after a verbal scuffle with the club’s charismatic owner Max Tshabalalala.

In his tell-all press conference with South African Football Journalists Association (SAFJA), the outgoing Konco revealed what is needed if the cash-strapped club will survive falling into the same pattern as Bidvest Wits and Highlands Park, who were sold due to a lack of viability.

“Look Bloemfontein Celtic without a main sponsor will always thread on thin ice. You know, football has changed a lot, salaries have skyrocketed 10-fold of actually 100-fold and there’s no regulation or cap on salaries and signing on fees,” he told SAFJA.

“So its becomes a challenge when you want to compete and look around at who you are competing with. You are competing with the likes of Kaizer Chiefs, Pirates, Sundowns, SuperSport is in the mix. 

“Without funding and without financial backing, it becomes a difficult You must understand that Max Tshabalala is running the club from his own pocket and you end up feeling for him, as a CEO you are too close to the finances, you see R2 million come in now, then it is gone again, that’s football. 

“Celtic need a main sponsor, irrespective from where, but it needs someone who will back them and push them to the next level, but without that there will always be that challenge of when the finances of the man dries up, or his other work is not happening then what is next?”

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Click through the gallery above to see players you may have forgotten played for Pirates: