Waves of fans poured into the FNB Stadium in Soweto,
Johannesburg, in regalia rivalling the world’s most jubilant festivals, to
watch South Africa’s biggest Premier Soccer League teams Orlando Pirates and
Kaizer Chiefs clash it out for the Soweto Derby. 



The stadium, also known as The Calabash and home to the
Chiefs, seats 87,436 fans and rumbled with vuvuzelas and unbridled euphoria.
The Soweto Derby is one of the most fiercely-contested matches in African football.
Between the two rivals, there have been 163 past derbies‚ and of that, 67 won
by Chiefs and 39 by Pirates. 



However, it would seem that Pirates are making inroads to
close the gap. Chiefs have not managed to claim a victory against Pirates since
2015; the equivalent of 12 matches and 1,496 long days. 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/sport/2018/10/04/unequal-pay-for-equal-play/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Unequal Pay for Equal Play (opens in a new tab)">Unequal Pay for Equal Play</a>



In this image, fans wear the traditional team colors; gold
and black for Chiefs, black and white for Pirates. They wait with bated breath
and watch the players who will control the course of their destiny – for at
least the next 90 minutes. 



The whistle blows and the stadium roars in anticipation.
This is an event that spectators and organizers alike bank on. 



“Just out of this event, we are looking at just over R30 million ($2.2 million) contribution to the local economy. We are talking sales from a granny selling pap and vleis, to the guy selling merchandise and the guys helping to park cars. That’s what sports does,” says Barba Gaoganediwe, Head: Destination Promotions and Marketing for Gauteng Tourism. 



Unfortunately, the match ends in a draw and neither side is
pleased as they disappear into the changing rooms to plot the defeat of the
other side for when they meet next.

soccer

The Million Dollar Game

The gap between rich and poor is growing in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), Africa’s most expensive league. In the modern game of 2013, it’s the corporate box that rules soccer. Any club that hopes to stand a chance of competing needs cash, as much as a fleet-footed striker.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-31161" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7875-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7875-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7875-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7875-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7875.jpg 683w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />
In South Africa’s PSL, top dogs Kaizer Chiefs has a squad worth R138 million ($13.8 million). In contrast, newcomers Mpumalanga Black Aces has less than half of that with R62 million ($6.2 million). Striker Mabhuti Khenyeza, Black Aces’ most expensive player, is valued at R5.4 million ($540,000). Chiefs’ most expensive player is South African international, Bernard Parker, worth R14 million ($1.4 million).
The way Black Aces started this season is a sign of desperate times. Until halfway through August, they didn’t have a home stadium. In their first match of the season, when they squared off against Kaizer Chiefs, Black Aces had to rent out the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
Chiefs, who are awash with cash from sponsors and the sale of thousands of shirts, don’t need to think twice about filling a stadium.
The PSL is no place for sissies. The action may be in the corporate boxes, but this is unmistakably an African night. The smoke from the open fires in the township outside reflects light for miles; the waves of yellow and blue shirts undulate as shots flash past the goalpost; the faint echo of taxi hooters floats in from the parking lot. The loudest noise comes when Parker scores the winning goal in the sixth minute. Black Aces fans dream of the day, when they too can swarm into a stadium with thousands of vuvuzelas.
But so goes the story of a few aces among a pack of chiefs. Success is a dream and an expensive one at that.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-31163" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7831-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7831-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7831-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7831-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_7831.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
A tattered flag bearing a blue ace has seen better days. Holding the flag stubbornly is Njabula Simelane, a die-hard Black Aces fan. Simelane is Mandlesive High School’s art teacher and was so desperate to see his side he brought exam papers with him. He marked them in his seat, shoving them in his backpack just before kick-off.
“I would not have missed this game for anything. Aces playing Chiefs, I’ve waited two years for this,” says an excited Simelane.
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IMG_8030

The Money Game

A tattered flag bearing a blue ace has seen better days. So has the team it supports, Mpumalanga Black Aces. In the fading light of a Friday night at the Mbombela Stadium, on the outskirts of Nelspruit in the north eastern South African province of Mpumalanga, the new mice to the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) run out against fat cats Kaizer Chiefs. Chiefs, who are awash with cash from sponsors and the sale of thousands of shirts, throng into the stadium. Aces don’t even have a stadium.
The biggest contrast is what you can’t see. Holding the flag stubbornly is Njabula Simelane, a die-hard Aces fan. Simelane is Mandlesive High School’s art teacher and wanted to see his side so badly he brought exam papers with him. He marked them in his seat, shoving them in his backpack just before kick-off.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2160" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_8035-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
“I would not have missed this game for anything. Aces playing Chiefs; I’ve waited two years for this,” says Simelane.
Aces are one of oldest clubs in South Africa, a club long in history but short on budget. They clawed their way back into Africa’s richest football league after two years in the wilderness of the first division.
Simelane personifies the kind of loyal support upon which African football has been built. Sadly, in the modern game of 2013, it’s the corporate box that rules. Any club that hopes to stand a chance of competing needs cash as much as a fleet-footed striker.
The way Aces started this season is a sign of the desperate times. Two days before their season opener, the club was homeless. Black Aces had to rent Mbombela Stadium far from home. Aces’ home, in Witbank, is a 220km drive away from Mbombela. Roelf Koetze, Mbombela Stadium’s manager, says the game drew a bigger crowd than expected. Twenty-two thousand fans flocked in at short notice.
Finding a home ground for the homeless PSL side is Gordan Masondo, Black Aces’ communication manager, a man with a rich history in South African football clubs, from Manning Rangers to Durban Bush Bucks. Masondo spent two weeks, with two cellphones in each hand, driving across the province trying to find something. The wheeling and dealing paid off. Masondo says Aces settled for two home clubs instead of one. The club announced that its main home ground would this time be a 100km drive from Witbank, at the Kees Taljaard Stadium, in the small town of Middelburg. Aces’ second ground would be at Mbombela, to cater for any bigger games like against Orlando Pirates later on in the year.
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If fans want to see the stars there is a heavy price for talent. Black Aces hired Clive Barker to coach this year and he signed 19 new players. The most expensive is former Ajax Cape Town striker Mabhuti Khenyeza. According to statistics website Transfermarkt.com, the Zimbabwean born Khenyeza is worth R5.5 million ($544,000). Chief’s most expensive player is South African national, Bernard Parker, worth R13.8 million ($1.4 million).
In Mbombela, Chiefs’ starting 11 averaged R99 million ($9.8 million), in contrast to Aces’ R19 million ($1.8 million).
Overall, Chiefs has a squad worth $13.8 million. Aces has less than half of that with $6.2 million.
The action may be in the corporate stands, but this is an unmistakably African night. The smoke from the open fires in the township outside reflects light for miles; the waves of yellow and blue shirts undulate as shots flash past the post; the faint echo of taxi hooters floating in from the parking lot. The loudest cacophony comes when Parker scores the winning goal in the sixth minute. Aces fans dream of the day, when they too can swarm into a stadium with thousands of vuvuzelas.
But so goes the story of a few aces among a deck of Chiefs. This is still a dream—and an expensive one at that.

A Tattered Blue Banner  In A Sea Of Gold

South Africa lives and breathes football. Like oxygen, money is being pumped into the game in the form of prize money.
South African bank Absa renewed its sponsorship of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for the next five years. The Absa Premiership is the richest sport competition in Africa, with R16 million ($1.9 million) up for grabs.
The current season will be different from previous seasons as it will be divided into four quarters, to be called the Q-innovation—the first of its kind in the world. As there are 16 teams in the PSL, each team will play 30 games throughout the season. The four quarters will alternate between seven and eight games, beginning with seven games in the first quarter. The winning team of each quarter will win R1.5 million ($182,600). The overall winner of the Absa Premiership will win R10 million ($1.2 million)—this means that there is a possibility of one team winning up to R16 million in a season. A bonanza for even the wealthiest of clubs.
Irvin Khoza—known in football circles as the Iron Duke—is chairman of the PSL and of the reigning league champions, Orlando Pirates. He is delighted with the renewal of the Absa sponsorship as well as the extra prize money.
“At the PSL, we are very excited with the Absa sponsorship and the new innovation that we have come up with,” he says.
“The prize money is very encouraging and surely it will help improve the standard of our football. When you look at our fixtures these days there is no game that is predictable because anything is possible in terms of the results. So it is going to be a very interesting season whereby all the teams that are competing in the PSL will be determined to do well from the beginning. We have very passionate supporters and fans who follow the progress of the PSL and we hope they will enjoy the quality football that the teams will be displaying on the field of play.”
MTN, the African cellphone giant, has also shown confidence in the PSL and has renewed their sponsorship for the next three years meaning that the MTN 8, with its popular slogan ‘Wafa Wafa’, will continue. The- winner-takes-it-all competition is one of the most-fascinating knockout cup competitions whereby, after merely four games, the champions win R8 million ($969,700).
MTN South Africa chief marketing officer, Serame Taukobong, is content that after a very successful four years of partnership with the PSL, which has benefited South African football, they will continue to invest in local football development and upcoming football stars.
“The MTN 8 is unique and is a very interesting competition that many people follow, hence we are so pleased that our partnership with PSL continues. It is even more exciting because we have the competition for the fans whereby they also have the opportunity to win some great prizes. We are looking forward to celebrating many more milestones in this MTN 8 exciting cup competition,” says Taukobong.
This season the football fans have shown great interest in attending the MTN 8 games—whether it’s the inexperienced or seasoned teams playing—crowds have been impressive. As the MTN 8 cup competition happens during the early stages of the season it showcases each team’s new players.
MTN was involved in bringing the world famous Manchester United to South Africa during their pre-season tour friendly games against Amazulu and Ajax Cape Town. By the way, if you need an example of how much money really is in football, Manchester United—the most valuable sporting brand in the world—is worth $2.23 billion. The fact that the two small PSL sides could compete on the same level as the nineteen-times English champions is a clear indication that the standard of football in South Africa has shown signs of improvement. Players across Africa show great interest in plying their trade in South Africa because of the magnificent stadium facilities and high salaries. Some top players in the PSL—who play for the big teams like Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns—earn more than some of the overseas players. These top earners include: Sundowns captain Teko Modise; Pirates striker Benedict McCarthy and Chiefs forward Bernard Parker.
The Telkom knockout cup is another competition in the PSL, which attracts interest, especially due to the R4.2 million ($511,000) prize money and the awards presented to individual players. What is encouraging for football in Africa is that the Nedbank Cup allows small teams from the lower divisions to participate, in what sometimes turns into a David-and-Goliath showdown for the R6 million ($729,600) prize money.
SuperSport, the satellite television channel which broadcasts across the continent, has been granted the television rights worth around R2 billion ($243.3 million) to broadcast the games live. Football clubs benefit greatly from these television rights because they get the grant from the PSL which helps them with funding. They can prepare for games properly, afford to stay in five-star hotels; travel on expensive flights, hire reputable coaches and pay good salaries to their players.
It appears failure is no barrier to the flood of cash into the South African game. The national team, Bafana Bafana, has performed poorly in recent games. The team failed to qualify for the last African Cup of Nations and struggled in the qualifying games of the World Cup against weak teams such as Ethiopia and Botswana.
Despite its lukewarm game, Bafana Bafana got a large financial boost from SABMiller, the owner of Castle Lager, which renewed its sponsorship of R100 million ($12.1 million) for the next five years.
The FIFA 2010 Football World Cup was a big success in South Africa when it comes to the organization of the event. The legacy continues as more and more investment pours into the country. Furthermore, South Africa will benefit for decades to come from its world-class stadium facilities and infrastructure which was built for the championships.
In the 1960s, Orlando Pirates used to travel hundreds of kilometers from Johannesburg to Durban on the back of an open truck. Now, they could afford to fly in private jets and the money, despite the recession, appears as likely as the Indian Ocean to dry up.

Tag: Kaizer Chiefs

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

The Million Dollar Game

The Money Game

A Tattered Blue Banner In A Sea Of Gold

Football is Money in Africa