Over the past year a hectic fall in commodity prices saw soccer club owners like Patrice Motsepe of Mamelodi Sundowns FC lose fortunes. His personal fortune is reported to have fallen by US$1.1 billion, leaving him still worth about US$1.3 billion. Although the global crunch has started showing signs of slowing down our economy, like the rest of the world, is feeling the impact.

Soccer exists within this environment, yet our local soccer does not seem to be proactive in dealing with this situation. In Scotland, the Premier League clubs have formally come together to find solutions. They have called in reputable management consultants and other experts to try and cure the malaise. In England some clubs have slashed ticket prices for next season whilst in Italy, Gennaro Ivan Gattuso, the firebrand midfielder of Italian powerhouse AC Milan, has announced that he would be willing to take a pay cut in lieu of the harsh economic times. Obviously such a gesture would only be meaningful if all the top division clubs took a pay cut to help their clubs through these difficult times.

However, it seems that our soccer industry does not seem to be doing anything. Workers are being retrenched, pay increases are being frozen, companies are making workers work less hours, obviously for less pay, has a means to cut costs whilst at the same time retaining staff. It is these workers that are the customers of the soccer business. What is our football doing to ease their burden?  Granted, local soccer is currently blessed with numerous sponsorships but these could still be affected by the economic downturn.

VW SA, the main sponsors of Moroka Swallows FC, is laying off workers at their Eastern Cape factory and dealerships. Surely, this must be of serious concern to Swallows. The club could do its bit to show concern for its sponsor’s situation by taking a few hours out to send its squad members on to the various VW dealerships to act as celebrity car salesmen to encourage people to buy VWs. I’m sure the sponsor would appreciate the gesture.

I bet you no member of the Sundowns staff has seriously thought of taking recommendations to the club president on ways to save money and cut costs. Whether it’s the players asking the club to reduce the hefty bonuses and club monthly and annual prizes as a gesture to the plight of the President’s business without which Sundowns would not be the swashbuckling club that it is. It seems that there is a culture of taking only that exists in our soccer. No one wants to give. Our soccer industry should take a moment to consider the times we live in and start exercising a bit of empathy to fans and sponsors alike.

About the author

Lennox Nhando wrote 61 articles on this blog.

• Blog