Question NW2059 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
15 June 2023 - NW2059
Mhlongo, Mr TW to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
Whether the SA Football Association SAFA received a loan from the International Federation of Football Associations, if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) amount, (b) is the breakdown of what the loan was to spent on and (c) is the repayment plan?
Reply:
(a). SAFA indicates that they received a loan from FIFA and the amount is USD 1’500’000.00. During the peak of Covid-19, most of FIFA’s Member Associations were experiencing a decline in income because of the global lockdown which put a halt on football activities. In order to mitigate the adverse impact of Covid-19 on its Member Associations, FIFA introduced an array of relief measures which included interest free loans.
b). The interest free loans were to be used for the following:
- Implementation of return-to-play protocols, including testing
- Participation of national teams in restarted competitions
- Payment of staff costs and hiring of essential staff, where necessary
SAFA used the loan proceeds to restart its competitions and for the national teams to participate in international competitions. Some of the funds were used to pay the Men Senior National team technical staff.
(c). The repayment period of this loan is 3 years starting in 2023 until 2025 at a rate of USD500’000.00 per annum. FIFA will deduct a portion of our annual grant and allocate it towards this loan.