Carlsberg changes tune on sponsorship

Carlsberg Malawi have said Mighty Wanderers’ K20 million (about $68 000) Standard Bank Knockout Trophy triumph has thrown the race for the ultimate sponsorship with arch-rivals, Big Bullets, wide open.

The giant brewer’s senior brands manager (alcoholics) Twikale Chirwa also clarified their recent statement that Bullets were closing in on the sponsorship did not mean that they had tipped the scales in Bullets favour.

Soon after Bullets won the Presidential Cup, Carlsberg Malawi tipped the scales in Bullets favour in the race for the sponsorship, a statement that did not go down well with the Nomads who described it as premature.

“Bullets had an edge then in terms of performance because they had just won the Presidential Cup, but now the tide has changed,” said Chirwa.

And there was a sudden change of tune from Carlsberg on Tuesday and Chirwa said: “Congratulations to Mighty Wanderers on coming close to being called Carlsberg Wanderers and that calls for a Carlsberg celebration at Lali Lubani Road.

“Wanderers are officially back on track, they have responded in a spirit of real champions and we are encouraged by their outstanding performance.”

He added: “Special recognition to their players, executive committee and coaching panel for the triumph and we would also like to salute the fans for continued disciplined and support for the game of football.”

Chirwa said Carlsberg are still observing the three main factors for the sponsorship race that are performance, discipline and fair play.

“The sponsorship race is still open, but we should not depart from Carlsberg coming back to sponsor football having seen a gap in terms of teams lacking resources and also decreasing standards of the game.

“However, we will make an informed decision at the end of the season,” he said.

Chirwa also said Carlsberg remain committed towards the development of local football and enhancing its image.

Reacting to Carlsberg’s latest statement, Wanderers general secretary David Kanyenda said they were thrilled with the positive comments and acknowledgement from their sponsor.

“We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their unwavering support. We undertake to work harder in order to secure the remainder of the trophies,” said Kanyenda.

However, Nomads chairperson George Chamangwana argued that his side now has an edge in terms of performance compared to Bullets.

“Bullets won the Carlsberg Charity Shield match as well as the Presidential Cup while we won the Presidential Cup Shield and now the Standard Bank Knockout Trophy and that put us at par.

“However, besides that, in the TNM Super League we are currently a step above them and that gives us a slight edge. But as the sponsor rightly put it, the race is still on,” said Chamangwana.