PODCAST | 'In SA, I struggle to find a team I can call a football club': Brian Baloyi

Former Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeping star Brian Baloyi says the problem with competitiveness in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) stems from South Africa not having properly structured football clubs.

Baloyi and sports business website Cash N Sport director Nqobile Ndlovu were asked onto Robert Marawa’s Marawa Sports Worldwide to discuss the view on Twitter this week by former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates star Jabu Mahlangu that Mamelodi Sundowns are “destroying South African football”.

The pundits took a deep dive into what they thought are the issues in South African football and DStv Premiership, where the competitiveness is being questioned as five-time successive champions Sundowns cruise to a sixth title with a 16-point lead at the halfway mark in 2022-23.

Baloyi has argued for the need for financial fair play in South Africa.

“It doesn’t’ mean we are going to take the same in Europe and implement it here. Obviously we are going to have to structure it to suit the environment in South Africa,” he told MSW.

“But for me there are a lot of things I think we have to address. The question I want to ask everyone is: do we have football clubs in this country or do we have teams?”

Asked to clarify the difference, Baloyi said: “A football club is a whole ecosystem where it’s about supporters, the home where you belong.

“In South Africa, I struggle to point to any team I can call a football club.

“Most of us support teams in the UK and LaLiga and we see and understand what a football club is.

“Our biggest problem with where we are is a lot of these small teams that contribute, maybe less than five have a permanent home. Even our biggest club, Mamelodi Sundowns, is not in Mamelodi. They train in Ekhurhuleni.

“We have to address all these things, and build proper clubs. Then we can talk about financial fair play.

“The reason most clubs don’t have sponsors is because of exactly such things.”

A criticism of the idea that financial fair play should be implemented in South Africa has been that Sundowns’ big three rivals have money but seem reluctant to spend it. Chiefs have a world-class facility but shirk from signing top players. Pirates buy decent players, but have no facility.

Ndlovu said the issue of finances with most PSL teams, and use of resources in putting in place correct structures according to modern standards, is a problem regarding competitiveness.

“Each club gets a R2m grant from the PSL every month. Apart from that most of these clubs are financed by their owners.

“Do you then go and hire an additional coach just to train your forwards, do you hire a director of football to look at the future of the club and integration of youth to senior teams? Do you hire staff to look at data analytics and try and get an edge over every team?

“If you do an audit of all of the teams and their infrastructure, you start getting a picture of why Sundowns are winning and other teams are not.

“If you’re then going to have the discussion about some teams having greater resources, we can have that discussion on sponsors — because there are other teams who have huge sponsorships that are not achieving what Sundowns are achieving.

“So you have to ask yourself the question: if people are going to complain about Sundowns, ask yourself about the other teams and what they are doing with their money.”

Ndlovu broke downs statistics on clubs having shirt sponsorships and discussed the league’s controversial decisions blocking some sponsorship deals, sales of franchises, and dug deep into the evolution and structuring of the league’s finances and leadership structure.

He revealed statistics on South Africa’s import and export of players.

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