Not since World War II has the global sports industry faced such a crippling crisis, which is likely to cost billions of dollars in lost revenue and could yet see the permanent extinction of some teams and competitions.



The coronavirus pandemic that has spread across the world has the potential to change the face of sports forever, and Africa will not be spared, with one administrator suggesting the outbreak could set their game back 20 years.



The severity of the impact will be determined by how long it takes for society to live alongside the pandemic, but even if that were to happen in June, there has already been significant damage done.



Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Ahmad Ahmad has tried to provide a positive outlook, but knows the complexity of the situation on the continent is dire.



None of the 54 domestic leagues in Africa was still running in May, as Burundi was the last to close up shop the month before, but just when cross-border competitions such as the lucrative CAF Champions League, and qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup, can resume, is anybody’s guess given travel restrictions are likely to be in place for some time, and vary from country to country.



“CAF is already focused on the conditions for relaunching our competitions and our events,” Ahmad said in comments supplied to FORBES AFRICA.



“Never has a crisis of such great magnitude crossed the world, never has world sport decreed so many postponements of its programs and never has such a tsunami struck the most basic sporting practice.



“We are now condemned to rebuild the basics, or at least to reinforce them, to energize them so that at the time of recovery, we will be the best structured and best disposed to conquer or re-conquer, the dry territories of sport and football.



It is Ahmad’s way of saying that any thought of returning to pre-coronavirus levels of engagement and sponsorship are fanciful in the short-term, or perhaps even medium-term.



His suggestion of having to “rebuild the basics” is a key admission and will be the same for many sports that face a sponsorship vacuum from some of the world’s leading brands.



When airlines, major sponsors of African sport, have been laying off staff and cut their schedules to next to nothing, can they justify pumping millions of dollars into sport?



The same for car manufactures, loss-making banks and oil companies hit by the drop in the price of crude.



The health conditions to allow play for many sports in Africa may return this year, but the question is whether there will be the financial support vital to being able to play the game.



Selwyn Nathan, commissioner of South Africa’s Sunshine Tour and a leading expert on global golf, suggests the pandemic may return the sport to the year 2000 in terms of financial capabilities.



“It could be like starting a business all over again, you can’t have an attitude that people [sponsors] will just come back,” Nathan says.



“It’s not something unique to Africa, or sport anywhere in the world, but we are going to have to change the way we do things.



“Players will have to accept that they are not going to be playing for the same money, and organizers must accept they will have to ask for less [money] and possibly do more just to retain sponsors.



“It is going to fundamentally change the way we operate and we have to adapt to that.”



Winners in some co-sanctioned Sunshine Tour and European Tour golf events can earn upwards of $1.5-million per tournament, but Nathan believes those numbers will be fanciful for the foreseeable future and it is likely to be a fraction of that.



The pandemic could be the death knell for ailing Super Rugby, the southern hemisphere club championship that has been hanging on for dear life, as it was, due to dwindling interest and its format that sees players criss-cross the globe between Argentina, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Japan.



In the case of world champion Springboks, that could actually work in their favor and see them looking north to Europe for club and country competitions, where the TV revenues are greater and load on players less, according to respected Stormers coach John Dobson.



“I believe there will be a restructuring of the game and that could be at Super Rugby’s expense,” Dobson says. “There could be stronger focus on domestic competitions with less travel and more tailored for television, because ultimately, that is where you get the revenue to run the game.



“It’s critical you have a product that is appealing to rugby fans, and after this period, maybe that will rather involve South African teams playing in the [European] Heineken Cup. I don’t know, but something has to change.”



Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, who is chairman of the APO Group, a communication and business consultancy in Africa, says he has seen first-hand the toll the virus has taken on sports federations almost across the board.



“I think, unfortunately, it will have a devastating effect for many. First of all, athletes cannot train properly and when you are at the level of international competition, just a few percentage points off can compromise your body,” he says.



“Added to that, there is no competition and the longer this goes on, the longer it will take for athletes to return to peak performances, so in the near term, you will have a poorer product for television and sponsors.”



Pompigne-Mognard says cross-border competitions are vital in Africa and it is in these multi-national tournaments where many federations across different sports make most of their revenue.



“Each African nation is unlikely to return to full health at the same time, so, for example, the Basketball Africa League, which involves 12 teams from across the continent has to be put on hold until travel is possible.



“It will go ahead, but the question is when and what are the financial consequences of this? It is something that we cannot quantify now, so we live in this state of uncertainty and that is not good for anybody, sport or business.”



The postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games to 2021 has brought much relief for many athletes, who had seen their training regimes brought to a halt, or at best conducted in the confines of their own home.



Olympic gold medalist swimmer Chad le Clos had had to make do with what he has at home while in lockdown in South Africa, one of thousands of elite athletes from across Africa in similar situations.



“It is what it is and I am happy with the decision (to move the Olympics) that has been made,” Le Clos says. “I have a small pool at home, so I attach a cord that allows me to stay stationary as I swim.”



&nbsp;“We cannot afford to take a break, even in lockdown. You cannot let yourself lose the months and months of work that you have put into your body.



“I don’t know where or when I will compete again, but you have to stay positive. You have to hope for the best, that is all we can do.”



-Nick Said

Stadium background with a green grass pitch in the daytime

All Home And No Play: Not Since World War II Has The Global Sports Industry Faced Such A Crippling Crisis

He is the number one fan of one of the oldest teams in Africa, Moroka Swallows, commonly known as the Birds, from Dube, not far from Nelson Mandela’s home in Orlando, Soweto, South Africa’s most well-known township.
His home is hard to miss; the Moroka Swallows emblem is painted in maroon on the outside wall. Inside his home is a shrine. Old team photos and portraits of him with players, commentators and presenters are stuck to the walls. No mistake, this is the home of Thomas ‘Rasta’ Mokhari in Pimville, Soweto.
“I was born into Swallows; my late dad was a Swallows supporter. We went to stadiums all the time and I knew nothing about soccer. I was about six years old,” says Mokhari.
By the age of 10, in 1965, Mokhari was a devotee; this was the year that the Birds won the league. He is a diehard Moroka Swallows supporter, even though he hasn’t seen a league win since.
Over the years, as Mokhari grew older and wiser, he sold rubbing ointment to Swallows players at stadiums for pocket money.
“My dad was a nurse and would come home with a big tin of rubbing ointment. I would warm it up and pour it into smaller containers to sell,” he says.
His love for the team never diminished. Mokhari got his first Swallows membership card in 1982 at Orlando Stadium. There weren’t any application forms, he says, just a stamp and your name.
“When it comes to the playing on the field, they used to amaze me. If you were playing Swallows you would be scared, it was impossible for you not to be scared,” he says.
He recalls a match between Swallows and Durban City. The opponents were five goals ahead but Moroka Swallows scored six in the last 10 minutes. Then there was the game against Orlando Pirates. Pirates were leading by three goals but the game ended 4-3 to Swallows.
Mokhari can’t remember too many table topping wins, but can recall how much he paid to watch.
“Six cents, 15 cents, R2.60 right up to R40”.
Mokhari has a sense of humor, being a Swallows fan, it helps. He speaks proudly of the team and its history but is not impressed with its current state.
“We are the first team to make history. It is the first team to have a sponsor, the first team to have a membership card, the first team to have a brass band, the first team to have cheerleaders, first team to have branches, also the first team to get relegated today and again tomorrow,” says Mokhari.
See what we mean about a sense of humor?
The last two seasons were no laughing matter. In 2015, the Birds were relegated from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to the National First Division (NFD) and this year they dropped to the third-tier ABC Motsepe League. For the upcoming season they are to play a number of teams that don’t get paid, like Orbit College, Apollo XI and Kings United.
The current state of Swallows has saddened many of the club’s fans; their dignity so crushed that it was difficult for many to talk to FORBES AFRICA.
I asked the Birds’ number one fan what happened to his team, a team that has a proud history stretching to 1946.
It began with the departure of its chairman.
“May his soul rest in peace Mr David Chabeli, he was a tired man, and he wanted to sell the team. For five years he sang the same song and people were dodging, the white people came and bought the team,” says Mokhari.
In 2001, Chabeli, known as ‘Bra Pine’, sold his majority shares to German investor Dieter Bock and Leon Prins, who became managing director of the team.
The Birds flew high, winning the Nedbank Cup in 2009 and the MTN8 in 2012.
Bock’s death in 2010 ushered in the dark days; the team wasn’t doing well even after the 2012 cup win. Bock left everything with the inexperienced Prins, says Mokhari.
But light flickers at the end of the tunnel. The Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, heads a group of investors who have bought 92% of Moroka Swallows, according to Mokhari, also a club official.
The new ownership of the team could bring change; but can Swallows, wallowing in the third tier, return to the big time in the PSL?
Mokhari suggests if the minority owners are bought out, the team will do better, so the current buyers of Moroka Swallows should buy 100% of the shares.
The word is that the new owners want to buy PSL club Free State Stars, and with them a way back into top flight football.
That is likely to take time. Luxolo September, the spokesman for the PSL, warns that buying a club and being accepted into the league is a lengthy process. First, the PSL executive committee has to accept the idea, if so, it is passed to the legal department to check the veracity of the club and its new owners. It is similar to the due diligence carried out when you buy a house or a car. If the legal department is happy, the matter is sent back to the executive for a final decision.
“But so far we have heard nothing officially,” says September.
With the new season set to kick off on August 22, the Birds need to hurry up and take wing. Otherwise they’ll be coming home to roost at Orbit College.

Will The Birds Fly Above The Dead Men?

On the August 5, 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will march into the Maracanã stadium in Rio for the opening ceremony of the biggest sporting event on the planet, the Olympics. Among the hopefuls looking to take home one of the 306 gold medals is Nigerian freestyle wrestler, Odunayo Adekuoroye. The 22-year–old woman managed to clinch one of the available slots at this year’s competition by winning bronze in the 53kg weight category at the World Championships in Las Vegas, United States. Weeks away from the big day and there is uncertainty in the air about Nigeria’s Olympic prospects.
“We always have issues with funding especially in the first quarter of the year. The minister of sports has been in touch with the federation and they have already released funds and the athletes are in very good spirits. We are hoping issues of tickets, and athletes not being able to arrive at the event this time, will not arise,” says Daniel Igali, President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation.
Igali is also the chairman of the technical commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee and a former Olympic gold medalist for Canada. He is the coach of Adekuoroye and is optimistic about her prospects in Rio.
“Last year, in all able-bodied sports, my wrestler was the only athlete in the Nigerian team that won a bronze medal in the qualifiers so we have very high hopes that she will medal at the Olympics this year and, if she does, that will be the first time any Nigerian will be winning a medal at the Olympics in wrestling.”
Nigeria failed to win a medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Igali is determined to change this record in future competitions, however, he needs to overcome several hurdles first.
“Our outreach programs at the youth level have been non-existent and so it has been a big challenge trying to get some of the younger athletes to take over from the older ones at the national level. We need to have wrestling programs in most schools, from primary and secondary levels and also at the university and tertiary level. The national university competition in Nigeria still does not have wrestling,” says Igali.
To further exacerbate the situation, athletes in the sports do not get the chance to sufficiently compete during the year to prepare them for big events like the Olympics.
“At the younger level, an athlete in a competent sport needs to compete at least every month and at the elite level at least once every three months. Last year we only had our elite athletes competing twice in the whole year,” says Igali.
Adekuoroye, who won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, shares his sentiments.
“Most of my opponents have competed about four times this year and I have just competed once and I don’t know what to do, but that is Nigeria for you.”
Adekuoroye fell into the sport by accident.
“I was into athletics before but I was cheated out of my position so I started crying. My coach at the time saw me and asked me if I wanted to travel with the team and take part in wrestling instead. So, just because I wanted to travel, I followed him and when I got there I won gold and that is how I started wrestling,” she says.
Adekuoroye switched from a 400-meter athlete to a wrestler. She could not compete in London 2012 because her weight was just below the required 53kg. This year, she is determined to prove she has what it takes to win a medal.
“I am not scared about Rio, I believe I am not representing Nigeria alone but also Christians all over the world and so I believe with prayer and training my God will not let me down. I have good coaches as well and I don’t want to let them down,” says Adekuoroye.
Wrestling has given a new lease of life to the young athlete.
“All I have is wrestling. I was not born with a silver spoon but because of wrestling, I have something to eat and even give others. I am the provider for my family and as a result I will continue to put everything into the sport to make sure I continue to succeed.”
It is estimated that it takes about 10 years of proper grooming for an athlete to achieve Olympic gold. One does not only need talent and hard work, but also the right support system in place, from physiotherapy to a chiropractor as well as experienced coaches. In the absence of these essential ingredients, the Nigerian patriotic zeal and dogged determination has brought Adekuoroye this far. Could she have enough to change the fortunes of the nation in Rio 2016. Nigeria hopes so.

Grappling For Gold

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.
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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.
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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

Godfrey Chitalu was a prolific striker; a striker who was able to get the ball into the net from any angle. He was well built, tall and very quick. I remember watching him as a young boy and the whole stadium would erupt each time he touched the ball. Chitalu’s nickname was ‘Ucar’—after the famous batteries in Zambia that lived on and on. His best attribute was the ability to run with the ball at incredible speed all while beating defenders along the way. He was a Zambian hero and his name grew through word of mouth and through live commentary on the radio. When a match was on we would crowd around one small radio to listen.
I remember watching Chitalu play many matches but the one that stands out most in my mind is Zambia versus Uganda at Dag Hammarskjöld Stadium in Ndola. The game was tight and it was 2-2, going into extra time. Chitalu received the ball almost on the halfway line and beat four defenders to make it 3-2. If that wasn’t enough, he scored another cracker to make it 4-2 at the final whistle.
He scored 107 goals in the 1972 season, during the games he played in the league, cup competitions, national team and friendlies. I had the privilege of watching both Chitalu as well as another Zambian superstar Alex Chola, play in Mufulira, in northern Zambia, where I grew up. Both of these extraordinary men went on to coach the national team for which I played. They were my inspiration. Unfortunately, both perished in the tragic air disaster that claimed the lives of all my teammates off the coast of Gabon in 1993. In Zambia, Chitalu was regarded as a legend. He is still a household name and his tale will be told wherever there is talk of football. He will never be forgotten.
In all my travels across the globe, if you look at the contribution of the greats: Pele, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, to mention a few, they were all players of exceptional ability. If Chitalu and Chola had been given the same platform, they would have ranked among these greats. It is unfortunate that the football market was not as open then as it is today because there is no doubt in my mind that both these Zambian greats would have made it on the European stage.
Nearly three decades later, the emergence of Lionel Messi has rekindled the same awe that I experienced growing up and watching my heroes in Zambia. Today, for a player to score 91 goals in competitive matches in a year is almost impossible. Let us give credit where credit is due.
This young man has the ability to win matches, to draw crowds and create something out of the ordinary. With some easy, quick and precise moves, he is able to turn an impossible situation into one which looks easy. It could be said that Messi could be the perfect player, yet one still has to give credit to Barcelona, a team brimming with talent and skill. Messi is exemplary in that his dedication, discipline and hunger to win never subsides; even with all the tackles from defenders trying to stop him in his wake, he is rarely injured and never feigns injury. A true fairplay player, if ever there was one.
I have often been asked to compare Chitalu and Messi. In response, I state that both players were highly skilled and prolific in their goal scoring abilities. I do, however, propose that perhaps records for goal scoring need to be tallied within their respective continents, so that you have a top goal scorer from each continent, this because every continent has different levels of competition.

Tag: Stadium

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

All Home And No Play: Not Since World War II Has The Global Sports Industry Faced Such A Crippling Crisis

Will The Birds Fly Above The Dead Men?

Grappling For Gold

The Money Game

Hail The Lionel Messi Of Zambia And The Godfrey Chitalu Of Spain