Black Leopards are finally free to reinforce their squad. After months of frustration, the club has been cleared to register new players for the 2025/26 season — a dramatic twist in a saga that saw them banned by FIFA and left scrambling to put a team on the pitch.
Fans are now hoping to see fresh faces when Leopards host Highbury FC at Thohoyandou Stadium tomorrow (Saturday). Last season the side finished fourth in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, raising hopes of automatic promotion. But this season's campaign has been a nightmare. Leopards sit at the bottom of the log, with the next 11 matches in the first round likely to define their survival.
FIFA imposed the transfer ban over a dispute linked to All Stars, the club whose status Leopards bought after being relegated in 2022/23. The sanction reportedly stems from an unpaid claim by a former All Stars player. At the time of the takeover, All Stars were already facing two separate registration bans (14 April and 1 May 2025).
The fallout was brutal. Leopards started the season with a threadbare squad, even fielding only 10 players in their opening match — a 3-0 defeat to Casric Stars. They also breached National Soccer League rules requiring at least five U/23 players in a match-day squad. At one stage, defender Thendo Mukumela was forced to play in goal to plug the gaps.
Now the ban has been lifted, the focus shifts to how quickly Leopards can rebuild. Their survival — and any faint hopes of promotion — depend on how fast they can bring in new talent and stabilise a season already on the edge.