Bullets only team with corporate sponsor
Nyasa Big Bullets will be the only top-flight club with a corporate sponsor following the imminent sponsorship termination of Be Forward Wanderers by Be Forward Limited.
Bullets are bankrolled by cigarette manufacturer Nyasa Manufacturing Company (NMC).
The People’s Team chief administration officer Albert Chigoga said they are priviledged to be the only top-flight club with corporate sponsorship.
“But at the same time, the situation is not good for football development. It is not a picture that we want to see. For football to develop, we need sound sponsorship from the corporate world,” he said.
Other teams that enjoy relatively sound sponsorship—Silver Strikers, Civo United, Blue Eagles, Mafco, Kamuzu Barracks, Red Lions and Moyale Barracks—are all run on taxpayers money through the Reserve Bank of Malawi, the Office of the President and Cabinet, Malawi Police Service and Malawi Defence Force.
The rest of the teams, namely Mighty Tigers, Ntopwa FC, TN Stars, Ekwendeni Hammers, Mzuzu Warriors, Karonga United and Chitipa United, do not have realistic sponsorship and operating from hand to mouth.
Football analyst George Kaudza Masina said the development is a reflection of change of times whereby the corporate sector wants a win-win situation.
He said: “The challenge with our football is that sponsorship is attached to corporate social responsibility which should not be the case. Those days are long gone.
“The other thing is that in other countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, they have agreements with sponsors on incentives like tax holidays, reduced taxes and others whose proceeds are used to sponsor teams and that is why all clubs have sound sponsorship.
“With sound sponsorship you tend to level the playing field in terms of competition.
Kaudza Masina said the situation demonstrates that the local football industry is failing to market the game.
“It is high time FAM and Sulom, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports engaged the Ministry of Finance on how companies and organisations can be motivated to sponsor football and other sports code.
“With sound sponsorship, teams will be on equal footing and competition will be enhanced for the good of our national teams. Sponsorship is not charity, it has to make business sense,” he said. “
On his part, another football analyst Charles Nyirenda said: “The answer is so straightforward. The way soccer is managed gives an impression to the corporate world that football administrators are not yet ready to be strategic partners whereby the end result is a win-win situation for both sides.
“The continued resistance to change in which the same faces stick to their positions at all levels and block off new entrants into top administrative seats is a clear signal that the powers that be are very satisfied to maintain the status quo because it suits their desires. And unless that is addressed by way of amendment of constitutions within the FAM family to allow for the ordinary folks to contest positions without hindrances, nothing will change because those holding positions now seem incapable to transform anything apart from making rosy utterances about what they intend to do once re-elected during campaign time.”
Following an announcement of sponsorship withdrawal by Be Forward Limited, the Nomads launched an ambitious fundraising initiative targeting K100 million a month, but the club’s chairperson Symon Sikwese recently confessed that the move is turning into a flop as it has received a lukewarm response from the supporters..
For the past two months, the Lali Lubani Road side has raised about K4 million, including K1 million from President Lazarus Chakwera and K500 000 from Minister of Youth and Sports Ulemu Msungama.
