SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews expects Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns will be well placed to leverage their financial muscle in the transfer market coming out of the coronavirus pandemic as other clubs ‘balance the books’, writes DEAN WORKMAN in a SoccerClub exclusive.
The Premier Soccer League has been suspended since March as South Africa entered an intense lockdown to try to curb the spread of the disease.
Almost eight weeks later and with the country looking to slowly start up again, the PSL is frantically trying to put measures in place for the safe resumption of football.
The country, and indeed the world, have been hard hit financially by the shutdown of business due to Covid-19. Football has not been spared, with some clubs in South Africa struggling to pay their players and staff.
Speaking exclusively to SoccerClub, Matthews said that it’s inevitable that the ‘Big Three’ will be well placed to take advantage of other clubs’ frailties because they had the muscle and cashflow to ride out the crisis.
‘I think it’s inevitable, I think in any market-related system or free-market system, capitalist system, the law of demand and supply reigns,’ said the SuperSport CEO.
‘So, you know, there’s three big clubs [Chiefs, Pirates and Downs] that have the financial muscle and cashflow to ride out the disaster. They can absorb short-term losses and take short-term blows like this much easier than others. And they will always come out of the situation stronger because cash is king. And if you can pay a fair value in this market for a player, you will be able to pick up any player,’ added Matthews.
‘But, you know there’s only a handful of clubs that can do that. And for the rest of us, we’re looking at letting go of our talent. I know, that’s the situation when you to balance the books and you have to balance the budget and the reason to sponsor us.
‘You know, we have a product business and find ourselves in a situation that means selling your best players. We will have a choice because if you if you have to realise the club’s revenue, if you have to realise the players as an asset and, you know, if you have to come up with cash and sponsors are not giving it to you and you aren’t getting it at the gate, you will need to get it somewhere else.
‘Right now our [PSL] grants are saving us and if it wasn’t for our grants, you know, you’re looking at a precarious situation for the entire industry, and that’s very sobering but we need to be positive, and we need to find solutions.
‘We can’t see ourselves as victims in a situation, we have to adapt and I think that as an organisation by and large, the PSL has done exceptionally well,’ Matthews concluded.
