Football is almost never covered in the editorial (“Opinion & Analysis”) pages of our local daily newspaper (2010 World Cup excepted, of course). But SABC’s failure to broadcast the Sierra Leone – South Africa match from Freetown sparked this response from the editors at The Witness (12 October 2010).
The SABC continues to do a disservice to football fans with its woeful coverage of the sport, especially of matches involving the national team, Bafana Bafana. First there was the decision to show Bafana matches delayed in the build-up to the World Cup, which surely must have been a first for any host national of an event of that magnitude.
The SABC’s latest bungle of failing to cover South Africa’s crucial African Nations Cup qualifier against Sierra Leone in Freetown on Sunday left many fans of the national team disappointed and outraged.
There have been calls for the SA Football Association to take the rights to broadcast Bafana games away from the national broadcaster when they come up for renegotiation in April and hand them to either SuperSport or e.tv.
Given the SABC’s treatment of the national team — prioritising soapies over Bafana matches — this would not be an unpopular decision. It is just hoped that a suitable arrangement can be made where Bafana games are still widely available, including to those who cannot afford satellite television.
