Football expert and columnist Ponga Liwewe believes the cosmopolitan nature of the FAZ Super Division has helped boost Zambian footballs’ viewer ratings on SuperSport.
Ponga was weighing in foreign player debate when he appeared on Sports with the Boys Show on Sun FM on June 6.
Ponga admitted the influx needed to be curbed but ensuring a high standard of imports.
“I will speak from two different hats. Firstly, I will speak from the national team perspective, obviously a lot of our younger players are not getting opportunities because clubs believe they can get talent outside the country that can be able to do the job for them,”Ponga said.
“If you have, for example, six or seven foreign players, that means they are six or seven Zambian players who are not playing in the starting lineup. From that perspective, it is something that you will question if you were looking from the national teams perspective.”
But Ponga added that foreigners also brought in added international interest in terms of viewership on satellite pay TV.
“If you are looking from a commercialization point of view, I will go back a couple of years and remind you when we had live broadcast from SuperSport of the leagues from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia,” Ponga said.
“But today, only the Zambian league is broadcast by SuperSport and that means there is something about the Zambian league is attractive for Supersport to remain with one African league outside of the South Africa league.
“Now the Zambian league has become quite cosmopolitan in that you have players from Kenya and West Africa and so this has become a drawing card and viewing card for fans.
“For example in Nairobi, there is quite a bit interest in Zambian football because of the large number of Kenyans playing here.
“Our neighbours like Malawi and Zimbabwe have consistently followed Zambian football and now we have an audience growing in West Africa.
“So this makes it attractive and so SuperSport is still willing to invest and the sponsorship money is in excess of a million dollars a year.”
Ponga also cited traction the English League was enjoying due to the high quality of foreign players as a key factor in that competitions commercial success.
Zesco had a Japanese player, but never utilized to use him for commercial. That Japanese player could have featured in every game, just put him in left wing…
Unfortunately.
So, ponga , what is more important ?
Selling tv rights or restricting influx to boost the national team ??
I sense you support the influx of foringe players because it boosts tv where you work ? But the national team suffers.
Just one point? Naimwe ba Ponga!