SAFA Controversy Did Not Affect New Banking…

Bonga Sebesho, left, is the head of sponsorship at Standard Bank Group.

Discussions over the new partnership between SAFA and Standard Bank had been going on for close to two years, as the banking giant revealed why it’s backing the football governing body despite some controversy surrounding the Association in the last year or two.

Bafana Bafana have done well under head coach Hugo Broos to become a respected side on the continent again after years of being a laughing stock, while Banyana Banyana continue to be one of the best teams on the continent with Desiree Ellis at the helm. It’s a good image for SAFA, but things have not always gone smoothly.

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President Danny Jordaan has been in the media for the wrong reasons with news of alleged fraud tainting his image, while the Association also came under fire recently for reportedly not paying players who participated at CHAN last year. 

Despite all of this, Standard Bank felt that they had to get involved in the progression of South African football, believing that the local game is heading in the right direction with the national teams performing at a good level at the moment.

Head of sponsorship at Standard Bank Group, Bonga Sebesho, clarified where they stand regarding the controversial events related to the Association in recent times.

“We were in cricket for 13 years from 2006 to 2019 and it was a fruitful and powerful relationship for us. When we decided to get into football, we did a proper risk assessment to understand what is happening in that space. What we’ve concluded is that football is in the right direction. There are some issues around certain individuals and we believe they will be dealt with and ventilated in the proper channels. We don’t believe that football overall is in a poor state. In fact, if anything, we think that the steps the South African Football Association have taken from building football in the grassroots levels all the way to the senior teams shows progressive impact and we want to be part of that story. There are individuals and we can’t comment on individuals, but there course of the law will take its place.”

A big talking point for this year is the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a number of corporates believed to be interested in partnering with SAFA and Bafana Bafana ahead of the showpiece. Sebesho stated that while it’s great for Standard Bank to step in at this time, they have bigger plans than just the World Cup.

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“There is a big focus, understandably so, on the FIFA World Cup. But we are a sponsor of the national teams and not the tournament. The tournament is going to happen for 30 days, but our sponsorship is beyond that. Absolutely, there is a huge excitement around Bafana Bafana qualifying, but there are so many other points where we want to connect with South Africa, not just about FIFA (World Cup). There’s WAFCON (Women’s Africa Cup of Nations) coming up and other events coming up. I need to also make it clear that we celebrate and partner with Bafana on their journey to the World Cup, but it wasn’t really about that. We have been working on this sponsorship and talking to SAFA for close to two years, so the fact that we concluded now is not that we woke up the other day and thought we wanted to do this partnership. It’s been a journey,” said Sebesho.

The contract signed between the two parties is for four years until 2030. Standard Bank will be backing all the national teams of SAFA, giving the Association a chance to take football in the country to new heights.

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