Yet not one of the major sponsors has renewed their contract, a week before the scheduled start of the MTN8 and less than two weeks ahead of the PSL kick-off.

That’s cutting it fine. 

She claims  in  previous years  some  contracts have been concluded close to deadline.

Even if that is  true, it is not reassuring to have the whole lot up in the air at this time.

Between them Absa, Nedbank, Telkom and MTN contributed more than R200 million in the last financial year. Absa, after whom the league has been named for the past five years, coughed up R500 million over the  period.

Media speculation is that Absa is  not keen to make such a big commitment this time around, with R200 million being suggested. Even that would be  a lot in the current financial climate. 

Absa, whose controlling shareholder is Barclays, is not immune to the ill winds blowing off-shore.

 But there could be other reasons too. In a statement the bank says cryptically: “Absa has a robust and strict process of governance regarding the assessment of sponsorships”.
 Governance? What could that mean?

Among the football public there’s widespread cynicism about the bonuses and other perks which PSL top brass award themselves.

This could have a chilling effect on sponsors who are concerned about  governance.

We all saw how Cricket South Africa’s big financial backers pulled out as the Indian Premier League bonus scandal unfolded.

Without suggesting that anything similar is happening in football, we urge  PSL officials to be more open and less greedy in their dealings.

Occasionally the PSL is rated as one of the world’s most lucrative football leagues. Without big sponsors that tag will soon disappear.