Durban City chairman urges SAFA to fund clubs competing in Africa

Durban City chairman Farook Kadodia has urged the South African Football Association (SAFA) to offer greater financial support to domestic clubs involved in continental competitions.

Kadodia said the costs of travelling for CAF fixtures, particularly away matches, placed a major strain on smaller clubs and could limit their ability to progress in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Durban City reached the group stages of the competition for the first time after beating Mauritian side Port Louis 6-1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round.

The achievement has given the club a historic place in the tournament, but Kadodia said maintaining their campaign would require significant resources. He also acknowledged the responsibility of representing KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa.

“Look, it’s a big responsibility. The reality is we’re representing the province of KZN, we’re representing the country,” Kadodia told KickOff.

“But the league is quite important to us. We’re playing Carling Knockout tomorrow, so there are a lot of important games that we’re playing. But we’ll do our best to keep the flag flying.”

Kadodia highlights cost of continental football

According to Kadodia, the expenditure involved in accommodation, transport and other logistical arrangements makes CAF participation particularly demanding for clubs without substantial financial backing.

“Playing in CAF is a huge financial challenge and if teams are not well supported with the resources, it is quite difficult to play, especially away games,” Kadodia said.

He compared Durban City’s experiences in Burundi and Mauritius with the assistance available to clubs in those countries. Kadodia said the football associations there helped teams host continental matches, while South African clubs were expected to manage the full burden themselves.

“The teams we’ve visited in Burundi and Mauritius, their FA does a lot for them to host those matches. Here we have to do everything ourselves. We don’t get help from SAFA,” Kadodia went on.

He called for support aimed specifically at clubs of Durban City’s size, saying it would help them remain competitive and give more South African teams a better chance of advancing further in African competitions.

“We need to be encouraged to stay in this competition,” Kadodia said.

He also warned that a lack of resources could affect player welfare and performances as clubs balance continental fixtures with demanding domestic schedules.

Durban City will return to action on Wednesday evening, when they host Stellenbosch in the Carling Knockout round of 16 at Chatsworth Stadium.