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Some have been calling them Bloemfontein Celtic-lite, due to the heavy influence of players from the now-defunct Free State club.
Royal AM are unrecognisable compared with last season, after the Durban-based club purchased the status of Celtic prior to the start of the new campaign.
The transaction included players from Phunya Sele Sele, together with the technical staff led by head coach John Maduka.
This resulted in the ballooning of the Royal AM squad, which, in effect, is now two clubs in one.
Royal chief executive Sinky Mnisi admits that the size of the squad is not ideal. “For now, we will proceed with what we have. I presume that, as we progress we will be in a position to identify whether we need to trim the squad or not. But, truth be told, we have too many players,” Mnisi conceded.
“It is the dream of every player to play football, [but] those who do not fit in the team will be released on loan term and others will be sold to other teams. That is normal in football because not everyone will play and you cannot keep everyone happy.
I hope we will manage this situation in the best interest of everyone. It will be tough, but we will soldier on.”
READ: Ngcobo: I am trying to understand what the coach expects of me
Royal have retained the technical team from Celtic, including assistant coaches Abram Nteo and Ditheko Mototo.
Former senior team coach Sazi Ngubane, who guided Royal AM in the GladAfrica Championship last season, is now in charge of the reserve team in the DStv Diski Challenge.
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