The sleeves of Tottenham Hotspur’s 2023–24 uniform won’t be promoting South African tourism after all. According to a report from BBC Africa, the South African Tourism Board’s intention to spend £42 million (over R1billion) in Tottenham Hotspur as the team’s major sleeve sponsor beginning in the 2019–2020 season has been rejected.
The idea had been provisionally accepted, but it was rejected by the tourism committee of South Africa’s parliamentary body.
As the nation battles to recover from COVID-19’s economic hardships and lockdowns, South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Lindiwe Sisulu, suggested investing in Tottenham to raise the profile of South Africa as a travel destination.
However, a significant portion of South Africa’s population is now affected by rolling blackouts, and the decision to spend so much money to sponsor an English football team was met with strong opposition.
Parliamentarians in South Africa demanded an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the proposal’s pre-approval.
From the existing £10 million sleeve sponsorship agreement it has in place with European used car manufacturer Cinch, South Africa would have represented a significant rise in annual income.
It’s unclear at this time what will happen to Spurs’ current business relationship with Cinch or if Tottenham has an alternative strategy for their uniform sleeves moving ahead.