The lack of a television broadcast unfairly denies fans the right to watch their teams play.
CAF do not have a TV rights deal in place until the group stages of their continental club competitions. Picture: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates fans were both left in the dark this weekend, as their respective Confederation of African Football (CAF) matches were not televised.
Chiefs’ CAF blackout
Chiefs’ CAF Confederation Cup clash with Red Arrows in Ndola, Zambia was not shown because there was simply no deal in place to show the match.
With CAF having no TV rights deal of their own in place until the group stages, it is incumbent on the host team or host country to secure television rights during the qualifying rounds.
There was such a deal in place for Orlando Pirates’ CAF Champions League battle against African Stars in Botswana.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation and SuperSport were supposed to show the match. But the feed from Botswana went out after about five minutes, leaving Buccaneers supporters also without access to their team.
It is easy to blame the national broadcaster or SuperSport in this instance, but it is actually not their fault. They are entirely reliant on the broadcast feed from the local rights holder at this stage of the competition.
CAF will say it is out of their hands too, as they only have the TV rights deal in place for the group stages. They own 100 percent of the broadcasting rights for their own inter-club competitions from the group stages to the final. So even if a local broadcaster is having technical issues, CAF can step in to assist.
This has only added to the professionalisation of both the Champions League and the Confederation Cup. CAF has also helped these competitions by introducing Video Assistant Referee technology from the group stages onwards.
Qualifying rounds need TV and VAR
But surely, if you are aiming to make a competition more professional, you have to do it right from the beginning of the competition to the end. And this includes the qualifying rounds. A lack of VAR in the preliminary rounds can affect teams just as much as it might in the group stages.
And similarly the lack of a television broadcast unfairly denies fans the right to watch their teams play. Yes, it would be an expensive exercise to get these deals in place all the way through the tournament. But surely it needs to be done.
