dyton mupawaenda
Robson Sharuko-Editor
THERE has been a lot of excitement in this country that Dynamos will get, at least, a US$400 000 windfall if the Glamour Boys clear the final hurdle and qualify for the group phase of the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Harare giants have surpassed initial expectations by thrusting them into pole position to qualify for the group stages after showing great character in the second-tier competition so far.
Having disappeared from the radar in the CAF inter-club competitions for about a decade, DeMbare were expected to struggle on their return to the competitions this year.
However, the Glamour Boys are unbeaten in their first three games and, crucially, are yet to concede a goal, in more than four hours of action against ZESCO United of Zambia and Orapa of Botswana.
That they have done all this, without enjoying the comforts and advantage that comes with playing at home in football, has made their campaign a beautiful one so far.
In recent days, a lot of attention has been focused on the minimum possible amount that Dynamos will get from CAF, at the end of the year, in the event they qualify for the group stages of the tournament.
That is a cool US$400 000 and this is being celebrated as a significant chunk of income for the Glamour Boys.
If they win the tournament, they will get US$2 million, pocket US$1 million if they finish as runners-up, get US$750 000 if they reach the semi-finals and US$550 000 should they lose in the quarter-finals.
For just playing in the tournament, DeMbare have already been assured of a US$50 000 pay cheque.
But, why the figures look quite appealing, in terms of the numbers, some experts have warned that they should be taken against the context of the reality of the direct expenses, which come with participation in these tournaments.
“Don’t fool the people that Dynamos will get, at least, US$400 000, if they pass the final test this coming weekend because that creates expectations of huge financial bonuses without giving context to what they will also spend,” said one of these experts.
“It’s very expensive to play in these tournaments and getting to the group stages is different from playing in the preliminary rounds where you meet clubs which are in your zone, which reduces costs.
“Now, if Dynamos go through, they could be travelling all over the continent to places like Algeria, Morocco or Senegal and that comes with huge costs.”
DeMbare do not have a home right now, where they can use their massive appeal to attract a lot of fans, and get significant revenue from the gates, to help them offset some of these huge costs.
But, the real elephant in the room are the production costs of the broadcast of the matches on television.
The group phase matches, and the subsequent knockout games in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final, are televised on CAF TV and its partners like BEIN Sport.
These costs are footed by the participating clubs.
“The average costs of a CAF-standard TV production for a game are between US$30 000 and US$40 000 and that is for the use of between eight and 12 cameras.
“So, in their three group games, you are looking at about US$120 000 going to the biggest chunk of the TV production costs and this money is deducted by CAF from the club’s purse at the end of the season,” said another expert.
“These costs include OB facility hire (which takes a huge chunk of the costs) and then the location of the event.
“Then, you have costs for flights and logistics which again takes a big chunk of the costs.
“The participating clubs also pay the salaries of the television crews.
“Transmission (satellite space + uplink equipment) costs are another huge factor and then you have to consider accommodation and related costs because, in Dynamos’ case, they will virtually be in camp throughout. If they were playing at home, their players could be coming for training from home in between the camps for the matches but now they are like they are always in camp and that is quite expensive.”
Online Reporter