The SA Football Association (Safa) are demanding a whopping R1-billion from the SABC for the right to broadcast Bafana Bafana matches for the next five years.
The national team's current deal with the public broadcaster is worth a measly R150-million and ends on March 31. Under the current terms, Safa also has to pay the SABC R700 000 worth of production costs for every match Bafana plays.
Safa and the SABC are meeting weekly as negotiations intensify and both parties have agreed to form three-man task teams to iron out the issues.
While the SABC are represented by head of sport Sizwe Nzimande, acting CEO Robin Nicholson and spokesman Kaizer Kganyago, Safa are still finalising their negotiating team.
"Our target is March 31 and we hope everything will have been finalised. There is no animosity between us and Safa as reported in the media and we are confident that we will renew our contract," said Kganyago.
He refused to elaborate on whether the deal included other national teams. "I cannot divulge more because the negotiations are still ongoing but everything is going very well."
After being pipped by SuperSport to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) rights in 2007, the SABC have emerged as the frontrunner for the exclusive rights to Bafana Bafana matches.
SuperSport - who paid R1.6-billion for the PSL rights in 2007 - can get a sub-licence from the SABC that will allow them to show the matches live in South Africa.
When the PSL awarded SuperSport the rights, it was initially feared the move would deprive the bulk of South Africa's soccer fans of the opportunity to watch their favourite teams on television.
Parliament's sports portfolio committee chairman Butana Kompela criticised the deal, going so far as to say "it would be a sad day for soccer fans" if matches were exclusively flighted on the pay channel.
The PSL had turned to other bidders, including free-to-air television channel e.tv, after having had no joy with the SABC.
Then-SuperSport International CEO Imtiaz Patel pledged at the time the deal would not deprive the multitude of soccer fans completely.
"SuperSport has every intention of, and is committed to, working with the public broadcaster and/or e.tv to ensure that a substantial portion of local soccer is available on free-to-air television."
Source -Timeslive.co.za