SAFA IN THE RED
International obligations blamed for R40-million loss
THE South African Football Association (Safa) is expected to report losses of more than R40-million at its yearly congress next month after spending on the various national teams pushed the mother-body into the red in the 2015/16 financial year.
Safa president Danny Jordaan told Sunday Times that the SA Under-23s and the women’s national team’s successful qualifying campaigns for the 2016 Olympic Games made a huge dent in their coffers in the financial year ended June 2016 as they had to carry the costs.
Bafana Bafana’s failed 2017 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, the national team’s participation in the Cosafa Cup in Namibia in July, and the many other matches played by the junior national teams also contributed to the losses.
‘‘We had two teams in the Olympic Games — the men and the women — and we paid for both of them from our own pockets,” Jordaan said.
‘‘If you look at that, [the losses] will be over R40-million. The SA Under17s have no sponsor, the under-20s have no sponsor. They went to play in Russia and they went to play in Cosafa without any sponsorship.
‘‘They went to play in Senegal with no sponsorship. So you can look in the region of R40-million. That is money you have to pay and it does not come from sponsors.”
Jordaan said former Banyana Banyana coach Vera Pauw asked Safa to arrange a four-month training camp for her inexperienced charges in an attempt to fast-track their development after they qualified for the Rio Games.
The South Africans were in an Olympic group that included hosts Brazil, Sweden and China.
Pauw felt that her players’ lack of experience at that level would be cruelly exposed in Brazil if Safa did not invest in friendly matches against strong opposition, and on a full-time four-month training camp.
‘‘We must prepare them and they are not sponsored. Go and ask Patrice Motsepe how much he spent on [Mamelodi Sundowns’ march to the African] Champions League title this year,” said Jordaan.
“Next year, if [Sundowns] are not in the Champions League, go and ask the club how much they would have spent that they didn’t spend. This is how football works.
‘‘Football is not a business that is on a straight line like you sell CocaCola every day whether it rains or it’s snowing. It is the same product and you only have to deliver it to the shops and that’s it. With football, business is very complicated, it is challenging and it differs from year to year.”
Costs associated with development, travelling and accommodation also had an impact on the Safa financials.
While Safa will not readily admit it, Bafana’s failure to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and the absence of Olympic qualifiers next year will also do wonders for their coffers.
Jordaan said he was confident that Safa would move back into the black by next year as they are expecting income from different revenue streams.
‘‘We will be in a good space next year. We are getting $1.2-million for the National Technical Centre from Fifa [to be built in the south of Johannesburg at Fun Valley]. That is almost R20-million. Our broadcast revenue will also be up, the digital revenue will come in and we will be okay again.”
Safa also intends to take advantage of the burgeoning digital space and will launch multiple digital platforms.
‘‘The internet has jumped from 24% penetration in this country to over 50%. The generation of revenue there is in the order of R52-billion.
‘‘Safa has got a lot of content, but we are not players in that space. This will change.
‘‘We are having discussions and there are huge revenue opportunities for Safa there.”
The Safa congress will be held in Johannesburg next month.
Football is not a business that is on a straight line like you sell Coca-Cola every day . . . it is challenging and it differs from year to year — Safa president Danny Jordaan