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* This article was updated on February 7 2019.
Safa has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. Russell Paul who became the association’s acting chief executive officer in September, spells out the organisation’s turnaround strategy. This is his take on the pressing issues he has been tasked with resolving:
Finances and turnaround strategy
It is now common knowledge that the impasse over the R110 million broadcast rights between us at Safa and the SABC has left a huge hole in our budget. For the past three or four years, our annual revenue was between R300 million and R350 million. With that amount, you can only meet the bare minimum of requirements. We actually need about R450 million to be able to run Safa smoothly. But we are not in a financial crisis.
We have devised, and started implementing, some elements of a turnaround strategy. Staff have been informed and we should begin to see some results in the next three months.
We are also working vigorously to raise new sponsorship.
I know people compare us to rugby and cricket, but these sports have about three or four national teams. Rugby has the Springboks, the women’s national team, the Blitzbokke and the Under-20s. Cricket has the Proteas, the women Proteas as well as the Under-19 national team. And their teams do not have to play qualifiers for their World Cups.
Safa has a total of 10 national teams: Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana, as well as the men and women’s Under-23, Under-20 and Under-17 teams, and one Futsal and one Beach Soccer squad.
We spend a lot of money taking our teams through qualifications and, the further they go, the more money is needed – which means our success becomes a challenge.
Right now, we need R20 million to prepare and take Banyana Banyana to the Women’s World Cup.
Safa eThekwini conundrum
The association is working hard with all the parties to come to a resolution that will see football being played in the region.
The biggest problem is that both parties have different court judgments in their favour. We are now looking for a football solution.
Women’s national football league
Our aim was to start the national women’s football league by April or May. However, a number of factors have forced us to push the date to August. We realised that if we started at that time, the league would be disrupted by the Women’s World Cup, which runs from June 7 to July 7. Also, some Banyana Banyana players who play for local clubs may be signed by overseas clubs after being spotted at the event.
We need between R20 million and R40 million to run the league; R20 million will just be enough to cover administration, but you also need to cover marketing costs, rent facilities, travel and accommodation. Can you imagine a team travelling by bus from Cape Town to Durban [a 24-hour trip], and then having to play a match and then travel back?
We have not yet confirmed or found a sponsor, but there have been approaches and we have been engaging with a number of potential sponsors. Sasol has also confirmed that it will be involved, but we haven’t reached a concrete agreement. [The department of sport and recreation has pledged R5 million, spread over three years, for the national league.]
We are currently finalising the rules and regulations, such as whether foreign players will be allowed to play in the league. There is still a question of whether the clubs will operate as franchises, and we are sorting out club licensing issues to be in line with those of Fifa and CAF.
Administration
I am reluctant to say what kind of administration I inherited and I will not comment much on staff issues, except to say we have 80 staff members. There are staff members who have passed the retirement age of 60. We are dealing with that. Since taking office in September, I have tried to instil a culture of responding to correspondence and attending to matters as soon as they arise.
Fun Valley Project
We are going full steam ahead with the project to turn this facility into a world-class technical centre. The two grounds [an artificial pitch and a grass one] should be ready in the next two months. Our junior national teams will be able to camp there in three months’ time. We are also going ahead with our plans to erect a hotel there. The entire project will cost about R600 million and we have already spent about R90 million.
* APOLOGY: In the original article that appeared on Page 18 of City Press, dated January 27 2018, under the headline 'We need R450m to run smoothly', it was stated that Paul “admits that he has inherited a sinking ship”. These were not his words but a question that was posed to him. City Press apologies for the mistake.
