Shah officially left Rollers on May 31 after the two failed to come to an agreement over an extension. The businessman had demanded 100% ownership of the club but the general membership declined his request. Shah owned 80% of the club while the general membership had a 20% stake.
He had put a take it or leave it for the Popa faithful with the deadline set for May 31. The membership did not accede to the business mogul’s demands and he has since packed his bags and walked out of the Blues’ door. Reportedly, inside Shah’s backpack are the team bus, the players’ accommodation, some of the administrative staff and the club office in Gaborone's Block 10. Shah has financed all these since his takeover in 2015. However, sources claim that Popa has since been put on auction for interested bidders.
The club, according to the deep throat, has attracted several investors and with talks at a preliminary stage. This publication has also been informed that Shah remains in contact with the Rollers’ senior executive committee members. He is currently on a trip to India and sources claim he is open to ‘back love’ with Rollers. Contacted for comment, Rollers’ public relations officer, Pako Lebanna said the club is not aware that Shah remains in contact with Rollers. Lebanna further refused to comment on the club’s former president's departure as he said Rollers is handling the matter internally and the public will be informed of developments at a later stage. He said the internal process will peak after the final league game against Nico United on Saturday afternoon.
“It is still early to say anything. We have started an internal process that includes de-briefing the general membership and so on. As the club, we decided not to comment on the issue at the moment. We are yet to decide on the dates for the meeting with the general membership. After the Nico game maybe we will have an idea,” Lebanna said. The spokesperson also declined to comment on any potential investor talks. Speaking to Mmegi Sport from India, Shah said he will return to Gaborone on Sunday and he declined to comment on Mmegi Sport’s inquiry. “I am back on June 4. We can talk after that,” Shah briefly said. During his eight-year tenure under Shah, Rollers won the league championships on four consecutive occasions between 2016 and 2019.
The team also won a Mascom Top 8 title in 2018 while they made history by becoming the first local side to reach the group stages of the CAF Champions League in 2018. Away from the field, Rollers became one of the best-run clubs in the country and reportedly offered players mouth-watering paycheques.
