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CARMICHAEL A NO-SHOW

By JONGILE XUBA | 2024-07-04

SOCCER - THERE is no smoke without fire!

This comes as eyebrows were raised among guests when a notable guest, Denver Sundowns Director Mark Carmichael did not attend the team’s Family Day and Thanksgiving Ceremony at Inkwazi Lodge in Dwaleni yesterday.

Recent unconfirmed reports coming from the ‘Kappa Boys’ camp indicated that there could be plans to oust the current chairman from the club, which is why some of those in attendance believed he had deliberately snubbed the invitation to attend the gathering.

The event was hosted by Denver Sundowns patron Henry Tum du Pont with the aim of expressing gratitude to the fans, players and Management Committee (MC) for the hard work put into the club in the past season. This is despite that the club had a tough season, which saw them being relegated.

One of the guests present, who asked to speak on condition of anonymity, confirmed that they contacted the chairman before the event, and that he was aware that the event was being held.

“There are rumours going around that there are people within the club who are not happy with the way the director has been running the team since he took over. I think this is why he isn’t here and there is no representative to speak on his behalf. We will have to wait and see what unfolds in the coming weeks, but the general feeling is that people want change at the club,” said the source.

du Pont pledged to assist the club in the coming season in anyway possible, as he knew how costly and expensive it could be for an individual director to carry the burden.

“As a businessman I know how hard it is to run a team in this tough economy, and all the costs that go with it. Denver Sundowns do not belong to an individual because this is a team that belongs to all of us. No one can run a club alone as it is expensive, which is why I am committing myself to assist wherever and whatever the club may need moving forward. So long as I am here, I will not let the Denver Sundowns brand be dragged through the mud,” he said.

Du Pont went on to thank the club’s current MC for making sure the team was still active until today.

“We would like to thank the MC for all their contributions in ensuring we still have the club. I want to clarify that I won't stir anything up with them, but instead I am offering assistance to them should they need it,” he said.

The patron thanked all those who attended the event and said he appreciated all of them.

He even revealed that he had notified all relevant stakeholders to attend the event, as most notably the club Director Carmichael was not present during the event, and did not even send a representative.

The director was contacted to know if he had been informed about the event, but had not responded by the time of compiling this report last night.

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