NFA is custodian of soccer

WINDHOEK – Namibia Football Association (NFA) spokesperson Beau Kauta said yesterday that anyone wanting to broadcast football in Namibia has to pay the association and not the other way around.

Kauta was referring to the non-broadcast of the Namibia/Libya match on Saturday after the NFA obtained a court order to stop the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) from broadcasting the match live on television and radio. The court order was obtained after the NFA learned that the NBC had received a sponsorship of N$40 000 from Castle Brewing Namibia to broadcast the match.Kauta said that Castle Brewing is in direct competition with the Namibia Breweries, one of three companies making up the Namibia Football Consortium (NFC) that sponsors the NFA.The other sponsors are Mobile Telecommunications (MTC) and First National Bank of Namibia (FNB).Kauta said that the NFA is the custodian of soccer in Namibia and holds the broadcasting rights to soccer.He added that it is a world-wide trend and that Namibia should not be an exception.Requesting payment for broadcast rights can be quite rewarding for national federations as can be seen in South Africa, where the Premier Soccer League (PSL) is about to double its revenue as a result of a five-year broadcasting deal with SuperSport International.The rights to air local soccer matches for five years will bring in more than N$1 billion, giving the South African Premier League at least N$200 million a year.NampaThe court order was obtained after the NFA learned that the NBC had received a sponsorship of N$40 000 from Castle Brewing Namibia to broadcast the match.Kauta said that Castle Brewing is in direct competition with the Namibia Breweries, one of three companies making up the Namibia Football Consortium (NFC) that sponsors the NFA.The other sponsors are Mobile Telecommunications (MTC) and First National Bank of Namibia (FNB).Kauta said that the NFA is the custodian of soccer in Namibia and holds the broadcasting rights to soccer.He added that it is a world-wide trend and that Namibia should not be an exception.Requesting payment for broadcast rights can be quite rewarding for national federations as can be seen in South Africa, where the Premier Soccer League (PSL) is about to double its revenue as a result of a five-year broadcasting deal with SuperSport International.The rights to air local soccer matches for five years will bring in more than N$1 billion, giving the South African Premier League at least N$200 million a year.Nampa