Phunya Sele Sele is reportedly in the process of being sold by owner Max Tshabalala to Durban-based businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize for a fee of R50 million.
The Free State side will now be renamed Royal AM thus ending Celtics 52-year history. The confirmation of the sale and name change is expected to take place in Johannesburg on Tuesday by the PSL.
The sale has not gone down well with club fans and former players who have been vocal about their disappointment in what has suddenly happened.
“This is very sad. It’s a sad moment for people of Bloemfontein,” former Celtic midfielder Lebogang Mothibantwa told KickOff.com.
“The whole province has been affected by this sad news, Bloemfontein will never be the same again.
“We’re not only talking about football but also the economy of the province.
“Some people’s survival depended on matchdays. I hope someone someday will reinstate this team.”
The clubs biggest die-hard female fan, Mamello Makha, was equally dismayed and shocked by what has transpired saying she had expected PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza to block the sale.
“I am disappointed and shattered,” an emotional Makha told KickOff.com. “I never believed the news when it started circulating on Friday.
“I was hoping the news wasn’t true, but after the announcement at a PSL press conference, it started to sink in that Bloemfontein Celtic is no more.
“I was hoping that the Irvin Khoza would announce the sale is a lie.
“The sale of Celtic will affect not only football but also the economy in the Free State.
“Bloemfontein Celtic was our lifestyle. There is no other entertainment in Bloemfontein except Celtic.
“How are we going to survive now without Celtic? We always thought that someone would buy the club and keep it in the Free State province.
The Free State government has failed us,” she added.
