Local soccer fans deserve more

Soccer-loving supporters will not get to see or hear favourites Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates fighting it out for honours in the Absa Premiership on free-to-air radio and television channels owned by the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) this season.

They also won’t get to see defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns attempt to win a 10th top-flight league title after the SABC failed to reach a sub-licence agreement with SuperSport, the rights holder, for the 2019-20 premiership season.

The public broadcaster, which apologised to the nation after the announcement, insists it can’t keep losing money on the premier division.

“The SABC was expected to pay SuperSport R280 million for 144 matches per year for a period of five years, and during that period, the SABC would have made revenue of only R9.8 million per year,” the broadcaster said.

“Over the past five years, the public broadcaster has incurred a loss of R1.3 billion in relation to the broadcast of [premier division] matches and a decision has been taken that any agreement entered into should be financially sound and sustainable for the business, ensuring there is a return on investment for the organisation.”

The Premier Soccer League is justifiably upset, immediately asking government to assist.

“Knowing what we know now, it is evident that the SABC had already prepared for a ‘blackout’,” the PSL said, adding PSL chairman Irvin Khoza had written to government to ask for help on the matter since it had “legal, public and political implications”.

According to SuperSport, the SABC proposal was seeking a 96% discount on the Absa Premiership rights.

The public broadcaster is admittedly battling to stay afloat financially but the manner in which it has dealt with the entire process smacks of clumsy negotiations.

Government will have to figure out a plan – even if it means only broadcasting key matches.

It’s the least soccer fans deserve.

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