ALTHOUGH he officially confirmed that Betway had taken over as the title sponsor of the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) elite division on a three-year deal worth about R900 million, league chairman Irvin Khoza was at pains to stress that their relationship with outgoing sponsor DStv remains as solid as ever.
The pay channel ended their sponsorship deal a year prematurely apparently due to DStv owner MultiChoice not doing so well financially, to the extent that there is speculation they could be bought out by the owners of French television station Canal+.
Khoza, announcing yesterday that the league will now be called the Betway Premiership and will kick off on Saturday, August 3, described DStv/MultiChoice as “a corporate citizen that I hold in high regard”.
“This is a partnership that we are jealous of,” Khoza said of the relationship with DStv.
“It’s a very privileged experience to have a corporate partner as unique as (DStv subsidiary) SuperSport. If only most of the sponsors could be of the same level of their values... and I am happy that Betway has joined.”
DStv will remain as a broadcast partner, as well as backers of the reserve league, despite the title sponsorship role coming to an end.
“We are grateful and we are appreciative that they came up with money to cover Diski (reserve league), which was not in their budget.
“It is a pet project of MultiChoice – they have a programme called ‘Let’s Play’. So, they are here to stay, and there is a five-year contract that is starting this year, so I can guarantee that they are here for five years.”
With DStv not having “asked for a refund” when the PSL could not deliver on their deal during the Covid-19 pandemic that forced the league to be played in a bubble, Khoza said he is not going to impose financial penalties for having dropped the league prematurely.
“I don’t want that, when I leave this place, they say, ‘This Irvin Khoza is a bottomless pit of ingratitude’.
We are proud to announce @Betway_za as the new title sponsor of the premier division 🤝
— Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) July 24, 2024
The Betway Premiership heralds a new era for football in South Africa and we are looking forward to the upcoming season which will start on 3 August ⚽
“When the shoe was on his (DStv) side, without me even pleading, they gave me a letter to say, ‘We are not going to ask for a refund’ for us not delivering during Covid.
“So, why must there be penalties? The English word they use is abrogation. There’s no abrogation here.
“This is a partnership that we are jealous about. If most of the sponsors can be of the same level with their value systems...
“That’s why we go out of our way to go the extra mile, and I am happy that Betway has been involved in the culture of SuperSport and MultiChoice (because) they are going to join in on this culture going forward. And we are grateful.”
Betway boss Laurence Michel said they are looking to add a new chapter to the PSL’s rich history.
“Football is a fundamental part of South African life. It really is in our blood and has been for generations,” he said.
“We are incredibly proud to be the title partner of the Betway Premiership. It further demonstrates not only our respect of the history of the league, but our vision for the development for its future.
“The PSL aligns with our values as a brand that commonly champions great South African soccer stories.”
Khoza said they will only announce the new prize-money structure for the teams at a later date, but expectations are that the Premiership champions will make more than the R15 million that was previously banked by the league winners.