The battle between the South African Football Association (Safa) and the SABC over Bafana Bafana TV rights is set to escalate to vicious levels.
Safa is taking the matter to parliament and will request the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) to request the regulator to free Bafana and Banyana Banyana from the stipulation that binds the two national teams to be broadcast on the public broadcaster.
Icasa classifies matches involving the men’s and women’s senior national soccer sides as national-interest events that must be broadcast on free-to-air TV.
Relations have soured between Safa and the cash-strapped SABC over the latter’s insistence of paying R10m to renew the rights that expired back in April. Safa views the sum as a pittance considering that the SABC pays close to R235m for Confederation of African Football rights for Bafana matches played beyond the borders of the republic.
Read the full story in the Sunday Times.
