Backing terms

1. What backing is

Spytoo is operated by Private Club App (Pty) Ltd (“Private Club App”, “we”, “us”). A backing is a payment to a player's club, made through Spytoo, that the club administers for that player's real-world football costs: kit, boots, travel to training and matches, training fees, match expenses and similar. It is a contribution to a real-world service that is consumed entirely outside the app.

Backing is not a purchase of digital content. It never unlocks any feature, badge, ranking, vote weight or other in-app value. Player of the Match voting and fan ratings are free for everyone, whether or not they have backed anyone.

2. Who can back, and who can be backed

You must be at least 18 years old to back a player. The app asks you to confirm this before your first payment. Only players who are signed to a club on Spytoo can be backed, because the club is the recipient of the payment. Free agents cannot be backed. Club administrators cannot back players of their own club.

3. Amounts and the service fee

• You choose the backing amount, from R20 to R10 000 per payment.
• Spytoo charges a 20% service fee for running the platform. The fee is added on top of your backing amount and shown on the payment screen before you confirm. It is never deducted from what the club receives.
• Example: a R100 backing carries a R20 service fee. You pay R120; the club receives R100 for the player.
• Spytoo carries the card-processing costs charged by our payment processor.

4. How the money reaches the club

Payments are processed by Paystack. Where the club has registered a bank account with Spytoo, the backing amount is split at the point of payment and settled by Paystack directly to the club's account. Where a club has not yet registered an account, Spytoo holds the backing amount and pays it to the club once the club has done so. Clubs can see every backing received, per player, in the app.

The club, not Private Club App, is responsible for applying the backing to the named player's football costs. We provide the payment facility and the record of what was paid. We do not hold backing on trust, do not control or audit how a club spends it, and are not a party to any arrangement between the club and the player. Any dispute about how a backing was used is between you, the club and the player. We may, but are not obliged to, help resolve it.

Backing is a voluntary contribution to a real-world service. It is not an investment, does not create any ownership, sponsorship, image or other right in the player or the club, and no outcome (selection, performance, progression or otherwise) is promised or implied.

5. Payments and saved cards

You pay on Paystack's secure hosted checkout using a card, EFT or other methods offered there. If you choose to save a card, Paystack stores it and gives Spytoo a token so you can back players with one tap. You can remove saved cards at any time in Account Settings.

6. Refunds

• A backing that fails or is declined is never charged. A backing that shows as “Pending” has not completed; if your bank placed a hold for it, the hold is released by your bank according to its own timelines, and you are not charged unless the payment completes.
• Completed backings are final once settled to the club. If you believe a payment was made in error, was duplicated or was unauthorised, contact us within 7 days at support@spytoo.com with the payment reference from your backing history, and we will investigate with the club and Paystack.
• If a player leaves the club before the backing has been applied to their costs, the club should apply it to the player's outstanding costs or return it; contact us and we will help.
• If a backing is refunded for any reason, we refund the backing amount and the service fee together, to the original payment method, once the club or Paystack has returned the funds to us. We are not obliged to refund from our own funds where the club has already received the money and will not return it.
• Chargebacks. Please contact us before disputing a payment with your bank. If you initiate a chargeback for a backing that was validly made and paid to a club, we may recover the amount, any chargeback fee and reasonable costs from you, and may suspend your account until it is resolved.
• Your statutory rights under the Consumer Protection Act are not affected.

7. Fraud, misuse and our right to reverse

We may decline, hold, cancel or reverse any backing that we reasonably suspect is fraudulent, made with a stolen or unauthorised payment method, made to circumvent these terms, or made to a club or player who has been removed from Spytoo. We may withhold payout from a club under investigation for misuse of backing, false results or breach of our Terms, and may return the affected backings to backers. We are not liable to any club, player or backer for a backing we decline, hold or reverse in good faith.

8. Taxes

Backing amounts are received by clubs. Clubs are responsible for any tax that applies to money they receive, and backers are responsible for their own tax position. We do not provide tax advice and do not issue section 18A or other tax certificates, because backing is a payment for a real-world service. Our service fee includes VAT where applicable.

9. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability to you in connection with any backing is limited to the service fee you paid on that backing. We are not liable for the acts or omissions of any club, player or payment provider, for how a club uses a backing, or for any indirect or consequential loss. The disclaimers, limitation of liability and indemnity in our Terms & conditions apply to backing as well.

10. Your backing history

Account → Backing history lists every backing you have made with its status, amount and service fee. Your identity is never shown to the player or the club; they see the amount, the date and the match it was linked to.

11. Changes and law

We may change the service fee, the minimum and maximum amounts, the payout process or these terms at any time. The fee shown on the payment screen at the time you pay is the one that applies to that payment. These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. See our Terms & conditions and Privacy policy for everything else, including dispute resolution.

12. Contact

Private Club App (Pty) Ltd, the Republic of South Africa. support@spytoo.com.