SuperSport still playing catch up to Big Three, says CEO Stan Matthews

He says the financial muscle that’s come Matsatsantsa’s way through these partnerships, including Jonsson Workwear and iKhokha, pale in comparison to what Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates attract in terms of revenue.

"The financial landscape in the PSL at the moment is an extremenly stressful environment. The costs of retaining players and running a franchise is very, very high," said Matthews.

"Even if I took all the sponsorship money of iKhokha, Johnsons, and Huawei, and I bundled it all together, I still wouldn't be at a fraction of the sponsorship revenue that's generated by the big three.

"Certainly from a Chiefs and Pirates perspective, and Sundowns have their own funding model so, even with all the sponsorships, I still can't make any kind of indentation or close the gap on the big three.

"What it does do for me is make me competitive against the rest of the leaue and, if you recall, I said during the Covid pandemic that, after Covid, there's going to be a big gulf created between the big three and the rest."

Matthews further claims the DStv Premiership table as things stand at present – with two rounds of fixtures remaining – is a true reflection of financial power. 

"Lucky for us this year, we've managed to keep pace with two of them [big three], so we're proud about it, but that's the reality – the league table at the moment kind of, in a small way, reflects the financial situation in the PSL," he added.

"Certainly, the top five [or] six clubs, if you spoke about revenue, that would be the league table."