The 2018 Carlsberg Cup was launched on Friday at Football Association of Malawi (FAM) offices in Chiwembe, Blantyre where the sponsors Castel Malawi Limited unveiled Flames midfielder Gerald Phiri Jnr as the cup’s ambassador.
Castel Malawi Limited managing director Gilles Leclerc said they picked the South Africa-based Platinum Stars midfielder based on his good personality and exploits in football.
Phiri Snr thanked Castel for recognising his son’s contribution.
The cup’s sponsorship has been maintained at K40 million as Malawi celebrates 50 years of Carlsberg brand.
“It has been 18 years that Carlsberg Cup has been in existence and it is part of the brand’s heritage in Malawi. It is one way of celebrating our football association over the years. As a company we would like to reaffirm our commitment to sponsoring the tournament,” Leclerc said.
FAM president Walter Nyamilandu thanked Castel Malawi Limited for the continued sponsorship.
“I am humbled and over the moon that Castel Malawi is here again to announce continued sponsorship of Carlsberg Cup for the seventh year since 2012.
“The contribution that Carlsberg Cup has made to the development of football over the years cannot be overemphasised.
“Carlsberg Cup offers the platform for the teams playing in the regional leagues to play with Super League teams, therefore, unearthing huge talent that ordinarily could not be identified,” he said.
However, Nyamilandu warned participating teams that FAM would not tolerate violence and hooliganism.
“Ours is a promise that we will do everything possible to safeguard this sponsorship. This is the reason why I want to strongly warn, urge and emphasize to the participating teams to uphold and observe fair play and the rules of the game without any compromise,” he said.
Regional league teams will battle it out to qualify for the national level to join 16 Super League teams in round of 32.
Nyasa Big Bullets are defending champions.
