One of Safa’s main sponsors, Sasol, has given the football association a stringent decree, telling the cash-strapped association to stop “exploiting” Banyana Banyana and Sasol League clubs, before a new sponsorship contract is signed.
This was revealed to Sowetan by a source close to the petroleum company. Sasol has been a significant Safa sponsor since 2009, having reportedly pumped in R16m, which was distributed in quarterly instalments of R4m, for the 2024/25 financial year.
On Wednesday, the company confirmed that its sponsorship agreement with Safa had expired this week, revealing it was awaiting Safa to agree to new terms of a potential renewal. The petroleum company’s statement added that “until an agreement is reached, Sasol no longer holds the rights to associate with Banyana Banyana and the Sasol League.”
“Sasol isn’t happy with how Safa uses money, so they’ve told the association that they must do away with exploiting Banyana and Sasol League teams for them to renew the contract,” the source said.
“The order given to Safa is simple: ‘No more late payments to both Banyana players and the second tier of women’s football teams’. Safa must agree in writing that they’ll never again delay paying Banyana and Sasol teams, before Sasol commits to a new deal.”