JOHANNESBURG - The SABC has said it will be able to show, in real time, Bafana Bafana’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier away to Seychelles on Tuesday afternoon through a third party, French media company Lagardere.
The national broadcaster is yet to agree a deal with Safa on televising the national team matches after their contract expired earlier this year and the football mother body rejected their latest offer, calling it “miniscule”.
It’s this stand off that led to Saturday’s qualifier between South Africa and Seychelles at FNB stadium, which Bafana won 6-0, not being carried on any SABC platform.
“We are able to show the away games because we get the feed directly from Lagardere (who have rights to CAF matches for the next 11 years), so I can confirm that we will be showing the game on Tuesday and the one against Libya next year in March.
“It is the deal around the home matches that we have not been able to agree on with the SABC because of their valuation of their television rights,” said SABC COO Chris Maroleng at a press conference held to discuss the public broadcaster’s sports rights acquisition.
He also confirmed that the SABC had indeed offered Safa R10 million per year for to broadcast their matches, which is down from last year’s R110m.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we will find each other because we are both mandated by public interest to bring football to most rural of areas in our country. We are not in this to make money from this sport, but it’s not a lucrative deal,” Maroleng said.
Bafana’s return leg in Seychelles kicks off at 3.30pm SA time on Tuesday.
@superjourno