Global scouts, clubs and agents stranded with PSL deal delayed

SABC Sport can confirm Wyscout, owned by American giants Hudl, have written to the PSL requesting access in order to continue assisting clients who use the data to asses players they’ve shown interest in. 

The public broadcaster has it on good authority the league has taken a decision to start a bidding process and those rights have been put out to tender, which means Wyscout do not have the greenlight as things stand. 

Due to the strict nature of broadcast rights, the video service company require a special agreement with the PSL and this hasn’t been struck yet for the ongoing 2023/24 season. 

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It means scouts, clubs and agents in Europe, North America and elsewhere outside the African continent who rely on Wyscout are in limbo.   

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a leading consultant painted a concerning picture when asked what this means for SA football in particular. 

“It’s a huge problem, more significant than people realise. Instat was the only platform to load and show all of the PSL games, but has been taken over by Wyscout. This is how our players are scouted as clubs use the platform to analyse potential targets," they explained.

"If you go on to Wyscout today, you won’t see any footage from any PSL game since last season in May. It makes the league look poor, a league that is supposed to be a leader on the African continent. It can only hinder our players moving overseas and if not sorted quickly, will put our football back years.

“At national team level, we have heard the Bafana coach [Hugo Broos], talk about they use Instat Scout to monitor overseas players – so who knows what they are watching because they certainly have never travelled to watch games live.” 

Contacted for comment, Hudl vice president Dr Sam Lloyd told SABC Sport he was confident of a swift resolution.

“The Wyscout platform is the world's largest scouting platform and we're looking forward to continuing partnership conversations with the League to ensure that the South African Premier Division, its clubs and players are showcased globally on Wyscout,” he said. 

The PSL also confirmed receiving an application from Wyscout and in a brief response to the public broadcaster said “the request is being processed.”

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