We have been vindicated.
When Sunday World broke the news about the imminent termination of the sponsorship deal between the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and ABSA as far back as January, we were projected as spoilsports in some quarters of the South African football fraternity for breaking the news.
Today, we were proven correct all this time after both parties announced the end of the 16 years of the Absa Premiership sponsorship marriage.
In a tacit statement released by both parties today, it was confirmed that the sponsorship relationship ends when the contract expires at the end of the current season.
After the league season was curtailed by the break of the coronavirus in mid-March all matches were suspended and efforts are now afoot, spearheaded by the SA Football Association (Safa) and its affiliate the PSL, as the professional wing, to resume training followed by the playing of the remainder of the matches to try and finish off the season by August.
“Absa has had a 16-year relationship with football in South Africa, 13 of which have been as a sponsor of the Absa Premiership since 2007,” reads the statement in part.
“While we will no longer be the anchor sponsor for the PSL, soccer will always remain close to our hearts. We are therefore exploring alternative options to continue our relationship with the PSL,” said Daniel Mminele, the chief executive of Absa Group.
“We would like to thank the PSL and the football community for the excellent partnership and support over the years,” said Mminele.
Said PSL chairman Irvin Khoza, “The Absa Premiership era will forever be a reference point for football glory, both in term of club development and player performance in our sport’s history. The PSL is grateful to Absa for strengthening the league to true professionalism.
“The Absa Premiership captured the imagination of football-loving people in South Africa and across the African Continent. Fans of the game accumulated memorabilia such as photos; soccer jerseys; digital images and videos, spawning a thriving merchandise industry for small businesses as well. Memory is a prized component for football followers around the world. The period of 2007 to 2020 will forever be etched in the memories of football fans as a high-point in the PSL,” concluded Khoza.
