Cape Town – Premier Soccer League legend Edries Burton may be disappointed to see the demise of Ajax Cape Town, but believes the re-launch of Cape Town Spurs could just be the “rebirth of a sleeping giant” and the tonic needed to reignite football in the Mother City.
GladAfrica Championship side Ajax CT, who were the products of a Seven Stars and CT Spurs merger back in 1999, ended a 21-year association with Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam last month with the local owners confirming their acquisition of the 51% majority stake held by their European partners.
Due to the takeover, the club has rebranded and gone full circle by launching the new CT Spurs logo following the approval of its name by Premier Soccer League on Thursday.
“Ajax CT has become one of the most respected brands in local football. It was very disappointing to see them get relegated a couple of years back, but we saw the quality they showed last season and should have gained promotion having led the league (GladAfrica Championship) by so many points prior to the Covid-19 break. Their professionalism and ability to identify and harness young talent was integral not only for Cape Town, but for South African football. Their closure is therefore a massive loss for South African football,” said Burton.
“However, with it being Heritage Month just a month ago, it is hard not to become nostalgic now that Cape Town Spurs are back on the football map. Spurs’ legacy is impossible to ignore. Everything we achieved was on the back of the hard work put in by the legends before us such as Bernard ‘Dancing Shoes’ Hartze and many others. There are so many that can relate to Spurs from generations spanning many, many years and it will be interesting to see how this new crop carries Spurs’ flag. It could be the rebirth of a sleeping giant.”
