by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice is silent and refuses to say why it abruptly withdrew as title sponsor of the Premier Soccer League's Premiership tournament more than a year before the existing contract was to end, with MultiChoice now saying it only took over the sponsorship as an effort to help South African football during the Covid-19 pandemic as stopgap support.
On Wednesday the desperate PSL announced that gambling company Betway has come to the cash-strapped PSL's rescue as title sponsor after the financially struggling MultiChoice which is now technically insolvent, abruptly pulled out just four years into its 5-year deal.
MultiChoice and the PSL's DStv Premiership deal was only supposed to end in September 2025 after the two signed a multi-million rand 5-year deal in September 2020 after ABSA Bank abruptly terminated its sponsorship after 13 years.
The PSL said it would never make deals with gambling companies and is so desperate for any money that it has now signed a R900 million sponsorship deal with the online sports and gambling company Betway out of sheer desperation for cash.
The gambling company will sponsor the PSL's Premiership for three years and R900 million, with the option to renew it for longer period.
"We now have Betway Premiership as the sponsor of the league," Irvin Khoza, PSL chairman said on Wednesday at a media conference, confirming what media reported last week that Betway would be taking over the sponsorship from MultiChoice.
Both Marc Jury, MultiChoice SA CEO and Rendani Ramovha, SuperSport CEO attended Wednesday's media conference where MultiChoice's drop as title sponsor and Betway taking over was officially confirmed.
After Wednesday's announcement, TVwithThinus asked MultiChoice again why it withdrew more than a year from a signed contract.
MultiChoice in response to the media query said it "acknowledges and congratulates the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and Betway on
their new partnership".
"Having taken over the sponsorship at the heart of the
Covid-19 pandemic as part of our efforts to support and nurture South African
football, we are incredibly proud of our role in bringing the beautiful game to
millions of fans across the country."
"As the home of entertainment, we remain committed to showcasing South African
sport content on our platforms and will continue to be passionate supporters of
football in the country. We wish the PSL and all the teams the very best for
the upcoming season and beyond."
