Spurs deal won’t fix SA’s woes

HEY, remember when South Africans clubbed together to ensure that Olympic medallists Tatjana Schoenmaker and Bianca Buitendag would receive a decent bonus for their exploits at Tokyo 2020?

At the time, Sascoc revealed that they did not have enough resources to afford a bonus for Schoeman and Buitendag for their brilliant efforts in the swimming pool and in surfing, respectively. So, there we were, the SA public, trying to generate some cash to honour the two women.

Similar issues haunt our athletes when they endeavour to represent the nation at local and international events. Hockey finds itself begging for aid every time an Olympics comes by.

It should, therefore, make all of us somewhat livid to read yesterday that SA Tourism is allegedly planning to dump R1billion into a sponsorship deal with Tottenham Hotspur.

You’d imagine that the English club will benefit hugely from such a cash injection, one that will increase their ability to develop their team and their brand. I have no doubt that the sponsorship will also have an impact on our country’s tourism industry. After all, such a deal will reach millions of supporters and millions more who watch the English Premier League.

However, when our Olympic committee and government can’t even look after its own athletes, then a degree of indignation is required. Can you imagine what our sports stars in the Olympics codes could do with such a cash injection?

Moreover, and a far more pressing consideration is that in a country which is suffering from huge socio-economic problems, spending nearly a billion rand on a foreign club seems ludicrous. Splurging so much on what is a glorified vanity project when South African citizens are suffering speaks volumes on how those in power have lost touch with reality.

If we are to truly grow Brand South Africa, then we must first fix our current, very real and very significant problems. A deal with Spurs, if true, is not going to do that.