The Premier League makeover
There is a hidden paradise in Central District called Mmabokela Cattlepost. The place is about 28 kilometers from the Tropic of Capricorn towards the West, going towards PolokaMogolori. Major services are accessed in Mahalapye. Whenever I feel life pressures outweighing me I visit this little haven. We have a Zimbabwean helper there called Mduduzi. The insights I got from him will be central to my argument on how the AFCON 2027 proposed infrastructure can be used as a turning point for our local premier league.
When Mduduzi learned that my hometown is Mochudi, he started quizzing me about Mochudi Centre Chiefs, particularly the era between 2005 and 2014. He had an in- depth knowledge about the local game. His favorite local player of that era is Dirang
Moloi, but he vividly remembers the exploits of Sekhana Koko, the clean defending of Given Mpundu, the saga between Joel Mogorosi, FC Platinum and Centre Chiefs, the promising young sensations at Uniao Flamingo Santos and how he likened the duel between Mochudi Centre Chiefs and Township Rollers to an El Clasico. I grew intrigued and asked about his whereabouts in that era, only to learn 2023 is his first year in Botswana. He religiously followed our league while in Matabeleland. He further stated a sizeable portion of Highlanders F. C. supporters identified themselves as Mochudi Centre Chiefs supporters.
The encounter with Mdu broadened my outlook on the potential of the local game. The prospects of sports tourism were not as fallacious as I thought before. The eureka effect was right there, now I know. If I take you a little back to that era, there was heightened interest in the local game, there were crowds attending games in record numbers. I remember the Super Tuesday of February 5, 2008, when Chiefs and Rollers filled the stadium on a clash that finished 2- 2. The Coca- Cola Cup winners prize was a paltry 120 000 Pula. We also qualified for AFCON 2012, our first and only qualification to date. The local game then proved we have the potential to make it great if we commit to it. The 2027 infrastructure can be the spark to reignite what used to be.
Elite facilities are in themselves iconic and elicits heightened interest. We can use those as a springboard to spread the viewership of our league beyond our borders. The broadcasting revenue is one of the biggest engines in football, the South African Premier Soccer League hovers around a billion Rands mark, and I posit it is within reach. We will have the necessary stadia to match them, hence attracting broadcasters like MultiChoice which has an estimated viewership of 25 million across the African continent, or even start our own premier league broadcasting production. For us to achieve this milestone, we have to also tweak our premier league regulations. I believe South Africa opted for fewer foreign players based on their huge population, but we can’t go the same route for a nation just over a two million mark.
I am of the strong view that the foreign quota should be increased to 10 foreign players per premier league outfit, with eight permissible infield players at any given time. I know those holding a different view will cling to the argument that such a move will deny local players to shine and maybe dent our national team fortunes. I dismiss the argument forthwith. The undisputed leader of viewership across the globe is the English Premier League and it allows for 17 foreign players per team and maybe more if the foreign player is considered homegrown but England continues to do well in International competitions. If anything, the foreign quota pushes local players to come to the party and perform better. Secondly, I do not agree to a 12 team premier league. It results in a shorter season and this has proven costly in intercontinental competitions where our sides show diminished fitness levels. Only if the 12 team league will adopt the Danish League model where sides play 22 games on and away basis, then the top six play each other twice more in a championship round, with the bottom six participating in the relegation round, then I might slightly fancy it.
We also have to pump in more money to attract the best foreign players as well better remuneration. The Saudi government came in handy for Saudi League, why can’t our government emulate the same? Surely the money is there. We were rumored to be chasing a Newcastle sponsorship deal, that money can be channeled to our premier league. They say charity begins at home. Rwanda for example, spend over £ 10 million on Arsenal annually, which is roughly around 200 million Pula, which is the estimated worth of Kaizer Chiefs. If we are to assume the Newcastle bid is of similar value, surely it can go a long way in turning the fortunes of our premier league. The next insert will focus on the snowball effect of what may become in the sports value chain if we are to adopt the above. There are many Mduduzis in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Rwanda and many other countries.