SABC and SAFA truce
Amateur football will also get to be shown live
The South African Football Association (Safa) and the SABC have clinched a fouryear deal that will see the return of Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana matches on the public broadcaster.
The news will come as relief to soccer lovers‚ especially those without access to payTV‚ who have watched Bafana and other national teams sporadically since 2018.
Safa confirmed yesterday that the agreement is for the broadcast rights of junior and senior national team matches and other properties owned by the football governing body.
The agreement will cover six Bafana Bafana matches (three home Afcon qualifiers; two international friendlies and the Nelson Mandela Challenge).
It also covers five Banyana
Banyana home friendly matches‚ inclusive of the Winnie Mandela Challenge.
Domestic competitions include the Under19 women’s national championship final‚
Burger King Under-20 national championships final‚ Under-23 men’s national championships finals‚ ABC Motsepe national play-offs final‚ KAY Motsepe schools final‚ Futsal and Beach football national championships finals.
Sasol Women’s League finals and various Safa national women’s league matches will also be shown on SABC, including a weekly Safa magazine show and the Safa annual awards.
SABC group CEO Madoda Mxakwe said: “The SABC needed to find a balance between fulfilling its public mandate and entering into an agreement that’s commercially viable.” Safa’s broadcast agreement with the cashstrapped SABC expired in April 2018. SuperSport plugged the gap and televised away national team matches‚ including Bafana‚ Banyana and junior national teams’ participation in international tournaments.
Safa president Danny Jordaan welcomed the agreement. “We are pleased to have finally come to an agreement with the public broadcaster, which is in the public interest and the good of the game.
‘‘After protracted negotiations‚ it is great that the public will once again get to watch Bafana‚ Banyana and other national teams matches on SABC‚ in addition to various other important football development programmes.”
Safa acting CEO Russell Paul said they had worked hard to end the impasse.
‘‘We are delighted that the nation will finally get to see their beloved Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana on the SABC screens again‚” he said.
‘‘Safa and SABC have been hard at work over the past few months to ensure that these matches can be broadcast and this augurs well for the greater aspect of development funding to women’s football and general grassroots development.”
The Nelson Mandela Challenge between Bafana Bafana and Mali was broadcast live on SABC1 yesterday.
Agreement is good for the game