Dylan Bettencourt
Patrice Mostepe may be one of the most celebrated figures in South Africa and very much so in football, his aim to monopolise the sport will do no good.
Motsepe is the current owner of the dominant Mamelodi Sundowns team, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as well as having his name on two of South Africa’s leagues.
Most recently the billionaire was called to step in and rescue the country’s second division that had lost their sponsor, GladAfrica. The Premier Soccer League (PSL) announced on Saturday that the national first division would be renamed the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
As well as having the naming rights to the second tier of football, the third tier, the ABC Motsepe league, is named after the Sundowns owner.
While Motsepe, with a net worth of R41 billion, may seem like the hero of South African football, his power in the sport may prove costly.
Having one man dictate the future of South African football leaves the game vulnerable.
The league’s top tier of football, the DStv Premiership, has already seen the downside of Motsepe’s money and already stands on the brink of irrelevance.
From 2013, no other team has claimed the league title other than Sundowns.
As Motsepe’s money has grown Sundowns into a dominant force in South African football the rest of the country has fallen behind, making the league uncompetitive and downright boring.
Sundowns do not just have the prestige to attract the best players, they also have the money to do so.
Reports suggest Sundowns highest paid player is Andile Jali, earning a cool R550,000 per month.
To put that into perspective, Orlando Pirates highest paid player is Happy Jele, earning R200,000 a month.
On the other side of the spectrum, Kaizer Chiefs attempted to blow Sundowns out of the water, paying Keagan Dolly R1.5 million each month yet they still cannot compete with Sundowns despite offering players higher salaries.
Every player in South Africa dreams of playing for Sundowns, whether it be for money or for success – because they are guaranteed both.
But nobody wants to watch a league where the winner is guaranteed before the first ball is kicked.
Image source: @ForbesAfrica
