Former PSL player doubts pension fund will secure South African footballers’ futures

A former Maritzburg United and Jomo Cosmos player has questioned whether a proposed pension fund will significantly improve the financial prospects of footballers in South Africa.

The South African Football Players Union (SAFPU) is seeking to establish a compulsory pension scheme for PSL players, with the fund to be managed independently.

The initiative, led by SAFPU president Thulani ‘Tyson’ Hlatshwayo, has made retirement security the union’s main priority. It is intended to address a long-standing weakness in South African football, where many former players face financial difficulties after ending their careers.

The proposed fund would create a mandatory safety net similar to the employment protections available to workers in other sectors. The plans have been welcomed by sporting stakeholders and former players who have consistently criticised the domestic game for not providing the post-career support found in other major sporting codes.

However, Saal believes the arrangement may benefit only the PSL’s highest earners and players who manage to remain in professional football for a long period.

“Nah this won’t work, unless they do something very different. Firstly, most of the clubs don’t even have an office where you can go and inform them about this pension fund,” Saal told KickOff.

He also questioned how the system would operate in practice, particularly for players whose clubs have limited administrative structures.

“So where are you gonna find your payslip and where are you gonna find your money? How much are they gonna deduct? Most of the players are still taking home R5000 per month, so how much are you going deduct?

“What happens to the player that is going to play for a season and after that he never finds a club again? When do the player gets his pension pay-out?”

Saal said the short length of many football careers presented another major challenge. Players may spend only one season at a club before struggling to secure another contract, leaving uncertainty over both their contributions and access to any eventual pension payment.

He acknowledged that Hlatshwayo might have a solution, but said he remained unconvinced that the proposed model would work.

“But maybe Thulani he’s got a plan. For the sake of the players I hope he does. But I don’t see it working. If this is gonna work then why are footballers not getting UIF money like all other contract workers do in other industries?”

His comments come as SAFPU attempts to introduce a formal retirement structure for PSL players, following years of concern about the lack of financial protection available to footballers once they leave the game.