The South African Broadcasting Corporation will pay the South African Football Association (Safa) in the region of what is to be believed R220 million to broadcast South Africa's national soccer games on the SABC over the next 3 years.
Safa and the SABC will also be working together regarding soccer games of Bafana Bafana not played in South Africa and in negotiations with the rights holder of those games, Sports Five.
SABC viewers were left in the dark, and in other instances had to watched delayed live soccer games when South Africa's soccer team played matches in Africa, due to negotiation and contract difficulties between the SABC and Sports Five, as well as technical problems once contracts were signed last-minute by the broadcaster.
The boards of the SABC and Safa will sign the contract which will likely be made known next week during the second week of May. "For the SABC this is a historic milestone for both parties, as previously we negotiated on a game-to-game basis,'' said Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the SABC's acting chief operating officer in a statement.
"Once the contract has been signed, South Africans can be rest assured that for the next three years, they will be able to watch the national soccer teams whenever they play home games. This agreement will further strengthen the relationship between the SABC and Safa, as it was perceived to be on shak ground."
