Katika, teams sort out sponsorship hassles

Businessperson Justice Katika recently courted participating teams in the newly launched K1 million Mchinji Boys Football Trophy in Bangwe Township, Blantyre, to discuss their grievances on the competition’s prizes.

The teams’ representative Enos Chatama confirmed that the issue has been sorted out following a fruitful meeting with the sponsor.

Katika organised the meeting at Ayise Resource Centre following media reports that some teams would boycott the competition because the prizes were not attractive.

Winners of the tournament are earmarked to pocket K80 000, which the teams allegedly claimed was lower than a K200 000 winner’s purse offered in parliamentarian Henry Shaba’s tournament.

While assuring 20 teams that were present at the meeting that the prize for the winner would be adjusted to K100 000, Katika urged them not to politicise his sponsorship because that would jeopardise sports development in the township.

“I know these recent problems emerged because some people have misunderstood my sponsorship as a campaign tool for a parliamentary seat in this area during the 2014 elections.

“Please, do not mix this competition with politics because I am not a politician. I decided to sponsor this event for the love of sports and to thank my fellow residents who support my businesses,” he said.

Katika added that the effects of the recent connection of his sponsorship to politics have already borne bitter fruits for the area as some company that wanted to contribute 11 match balls to the contest, has pulled out for fear of being associated with politics.

But officials who represented the participating teams in the competition such as Chatama (owner of Bangwe Madrid), Zathu Rangers team manager Kelvin ‘Aliphi’ Zeka and Ntopwa One FC owner Isaac ‘Jomo’ Osman urged Katika not to be discouraged by comments from disgruntled individuals.

“We are happy that you came to address us on the problems the competition faces. However, I would like to urge my fellow team officials to stop backbiting and gossiping if we want to see soccer development in our area.  We should not mix football with politics,” Chatama said.

Organiser of the competition Basiano Bauleni said the tournament has since started.

According to Bauleni, prizes for runners-up and third-best teams have also been hiked to K75 000 and 50 000 respectively.