Zimpapers Logo

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS chief executive officer Nhlanhla Dube believes there is a need to create commercial value for the country’s footballers to ensure other revenue streams in times like now when football is on hold.

Players are currently struggling financially because of the Covid-19 enforced freeze and Dube says the popularity of athletes has a commercial value to it.

Not only are players’ talents crucial in determining the market value, but their popularity off the field has the potential to attract commercial brands.

“We need to move our football to a stage where the value of a player is calculated in the same value of a club is calculated outside football. Let’s use the example of an Argentine player (Lionel Messi) that transferred from Barcelona to PSG. They sold millions of replicas in a short space, and that is the commercial value of the player outside the pitch,” said Dube.

“So, in this case the player has two legs in terms of income generation. One leg is in football, while the other one is a commercial leg, hence we need to get our football to that level where our players have got real value such as the player’s image rights. Here we talk about players who oversee how much they are paid at the end of the month, but the real question should be what is the player’s value away from the pitch and how do we grow that,” he said.

Bosso’s communications officer Ronald Moyo added his voice, saying the value of a player is attached to performance and it rises as they play.

He said a player’s value is based on statistics on the pitch and if they are not playing their value depreciates.

“It is difficult to attract corporates when football is not being played. They would rather go and look for where they can put their money. A player’s real work is on the pitch and if they are not playing, their value goes down and that also affects us as a club because corporates will not come and sponsor football,” Moyo said.