Yesterday’s news that Absa is pulling out of Premier League Soccer after 13 years is hardly surprising given our current situation: ‘Africanacity’, sadly, is no match for economic reality! But in terms of tugging at the heartstrings of consumers, let’s hope they’ve not scored an own goal.

Football is, by some margin, the most popular major sport in middle-class-and-up South Africa with 44% of adults showing an interest (60% of men, and even 30% of women!) What’s more, of those who do watch sport on TV, 75% are likely to know what a makaraba is versus 62% of rugby fans.

In short, soccer is an integral part of life in our country, so it’s a perfect opportunity for someone with deep pockets to latch on to Absa’s cross-kick and smash it past the keeper…