- News24 learned that Leeds United was a priority for South African tourism from a sponsorship perspective.
- This comes in light of the proposed sponsorship deal between the entity and Tottenham Hotspur.
- The agreement, which has not been finalized, is the center of a strong debate.
News24 has learned that Leeds United is the other team South African Tourism had initially approached for sponsorship purposes in the English Premiership.
This came in light of the club’s proposed plans for a three-year contract worth £42.5 million (around R900 million) starting at the start of the 2023/24 English Premier League season and ending at the end of the 2026/27 season with North. Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premiership based in London.
Leeds United, out of the Premiership for 16 years, have a large following in South Africa, and the club’s South African endearment is former Bafana captain Lucas Radebe and the late Phil Masinga.
SABC Sport also reported that there was an approach to sponsor Chelsea, something SA Tourism interim chief executive Themba Khumalo said he was not aware of.
Khumalo, at a press conference on Thursday, said another deal was on the table before the Tottenham deal.
READ | SA Tourism goes ahead with nearly R1bn Spurs sponsorship ‘conditionally’ as criticism mounts
Khumalo did not name the potential suitor, but said the deal was thwarted by the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which would have made it publicly untenable.
“I got a call regarding a deal with Chelsea, I put up both hands and said I’ve never seen it,” Khumalo said.
“I have seen a completely different team, but not the one you are referring to. So, have we received another team? Yes, we have received it.
“Is that the one mentioned? No. I haven’t seen it. A colleague of mine may have seen it, but has it been formally presented to us as an option? No.
“We couldn’t speak on behalf of the department, and I think the CEO could speak to that.
“I can confirm that I have seen another proposal that we saw in the midst of Covid-19, but not this one in particular.
“The board of directors took a position at that moment of not whether we should access the hearings or not, but a matter of time because we were in the midst of Covid-19.
“The timing was not right, but the conditions have now changed as an audience aggregator.”
READ | ‘It’s crazy!’ SA sports federation angered by Spurs sponsorship proposal of almost 1 billion rand
News24 also understands that the British & Irish Lions were a potential target ahead of the 2021 series hosted by South Africa.
However, that one fell through due to Covid-19 restrictions not allowing fans to attend matches in South African stadiums.
Khumalo said they were not averse to partnering with national teams that travel abroad regularly, but added that they also needed to work within the limits of their budgets and markets.
With Khumalo saying the UK is its biggest market, South Africa has rugby teams campaigning in the United Rugby Championship and the Heineken Champions Cup, where they can play in England, Northern Ireland (Ulster), Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
“You have to spend to get a return because you can’t shrink on growth,” Khumalo said.
READ | Advertising, kit branding: Inside SA Tourism’s nearly R1bn Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship proposal
“Since the inception of this entity in the 2000s, this money was going to be spent in those countries anyway.
“We have nine offices around the world, and last year, this money was spent, and in previous years, so investment in foreign markets to bring people into the country must continue.
“Money is spent on our internal tourism programs, and that circulates in our economy, but there is a part that has to be invested outside the country to get a return.”
