Safa reveals the broadcast contract with the SABC worth R50m for its first year

The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) new broadcast rights contract with the SA Football Association (Safa) for national team home matches is worth R50m for its first year‚ Safa acting chief executive Gay Mokoena has revealed.

This is significantly less than the previous R110m‚ which the SABC had declined to renew in protracted negotiations with Safa‚ the cash-strapped public broadcaster saying it simply could not afford the amount.

Mokoena said the four-year broadcast contract is “flexible” and that a larger sum can be negotiated depending on a potential improvement of the SABC’s financial situation.

“We have a flexible amount‚ if I could call it that. And that’s why we have agreed to review the amount on an annual basis‚” Mokoena said at a press conference at Safa House in Nasrec on Thursday.

“For a start‚ because we are all in a difficult period. We have a R50m sponsorship. But it’s not all cash. It’s what you call ‘Value in kind’.”

Mokoena also revealed that Safa have had approaches from four sports brand companies for their national team kit sponsorship‚ following Nike’s contract expiring after the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in July.