Johannesburg – In what is likely to be a major blow to women’s football in the country, petroleum giant Sasol is on the verge of ending its sponsorship with the South African Football Association (Safa).
Sasol is the sole headline sponsor of the SA women’s senior national team, popularly known as Banyana Banyana.
It is also the sponsor of the Sasol League.
These two sponsorship properties with Safa started in 2009 and have been in place for 12 years.
During Banyana’s training sessions this week at the Randburg Football Club, there were no Sasol backdrops or branding, compared to previous and normal training sessions where soccer fans would be welcomed by screaming logos, signs and boards.
On Tuesday, Banyana will fly to Europe for their friendly international match against Netherlands at the Zwolle Stadium on Saturday.
“Safa and Sasol cannot find each other and the sponsorship is hanging by a thread,” said a well-placed Safa insider.
“The contract expires at the end of June and it does not seem like there will be a new agreement on the table.
“This could be a massive loss for the national association because Sasol has really bolstered women’s football in the country.
Look at how many Banyana stars and former Super League stars are now playing in the big leagues abroad,” he added.
When the Sasol League was established in 2009, it became SA’s premier women’s league and played an integral part in contributing to the growth and development of women’s football – it is now the second tier of football in the country, with the Hollywoodbet Super League the highest division.
The Sasol League comprises 144 teams and is played in all nine provinces –16 teams per province and over 3 600 players. Nozipho Mbatha, Sasol Group’s brand marketing manager, said the contract with Safa would end on June 30, but declined to confirm whether the partnership with Safa would continue .
“We are currently engaged in renewal discussions.”
Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe said: “We are still negotiating and everything is positive. I have correspondence from them that they are recommitting.
“The Sasol branding not being available in the Banyana camp this week was a big miscommunication.”
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
