AmaZulu President calls out disparity in commercial support for black PSL clubs

Recently, TS Galaxy president Tim Sukazi made his voice known on this issue, as the club continues to struggle to woo sponsors into their ranks and dip into their pockets to fund their operations.

Some of the reasons that are usually given for lack of sports sponsorships for the so-called smaller clubs is the lack of professional structures around them, something Zungu says can never apply to his team.

"This is a very complex issue. We are a well-administered team, so if we weren't a well-administered team, I would say that professionalism is an issue, but it isn't.

"All of our staff and players get paid their full salaries on time, we comply with all tax matters, we are focused on youth skill development, we have a relationship with royalty, and with the KZN government.

"So why don't we get the support?" asked Zungu. 

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Speaking to SABC Sport just after the recently concluded and inaugural Sports Business Forum (SBF), Zungu also lamented the lack of support from the provincial and municipal government in KwaZulu-Natal, given the amount of sports tourism that the teams bring into their areas.

Sports sponsorships in South Africa are still skewed towards the white dominated sporting codes like cricket and rugby, and in football, it’s mostly the big three teams that enjoy that.

Zungu says it’s surprising that football, with more commercial value than some of these sporting codes, continues to be ignored by the private sector.

"Apartheid's legacy cannot be ignored. Anything that is patronized by black people assumes a second-class stature in the eyes of some decision makers. You need to work very hard to convince people to throw money behind things loved by black people. 

"Contrast that with other sporting codes that receive much better support."

With four KZN teams in top-flight football, three of them (AmaZulu, Durban City, and Golden Arrows) based in Durban, and Richards Bay FC, based in Umhlathuze, these departments still try to entice some teams from outside their province to play at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Something Zungu doesn’t understand, even if it’s a commercial decision, as the government usually argues...