Castle Lager have said their continued sponsorship of the Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup will depend on how the regional football governing body will manage this year’s competition, Cosafa president Suketu Patel disclosed at the weekend.
Patel also said Cosafa has signed a one-year deal with Castle Lager.
“We signed the media rights deal on Friday and also sealed the sponsorship deal. We have an agreement to successfully host this year, and if it goes well, there is an option to extend the deal,” said Patel.
He said the tournament will be played in two stages.
“We will have group stages which will involve weaker teams. Teams that qualify will join the top six-ranked teams for the knockout phase,” he said.
This means the Flames will not be involved in the early stages because they are among the six top-ranked sides in the region.
But Patel could not be drawn to disclose the sponsorship package, saying that will be done during the official launch.
Over the years, the tournament has helped expose local talent in the likes of Meke Mwase, John Maduka, Patrick Mabedi, Esau Kanyenda, Peter Mponda and Joseph Kamwendo.
