Super League stakes to go up
Super League of Malawi (Sulom) says it has successfully negotiated for an increased sponsorship package with the top-flight league sponsors TNM plc from the current K90 million per season.
The league runners’ president Tiya Somba-Banda told delegates at their annual general meeting (AGM) held in Mangochi on Sunday that negotiations for a new sponsorship contract have been finalised.
But in an interview on Monday, Banda could not be drawn to disclose both the sponsorship package and the duration.
He said: “That will be done before the end of the season, but the increase is significant and it will translate in the prizes.
“The new sponsorship deal has accommodated a number of issues that the clubs raised.”
The champions currently receive K15 million, runners-up get K7.5 millio, the third and fourth-placed team takes home K4 million and fourth-placed team gets K3 million.
For sometime, clubs have been complaining that prizes for teams, especially the champions, are on the lower side.
The top-flight league teams also raised concerns on the K1 million subvention which has not been revised since TNM started sponsoring the league in 2006.
Reacting to the development, Mighty Wanderers acting chief executive officer Chauncy Gondwe said: “Let’s wait and see the sponsorship package first. Otherwise, that’s what we have been fighting for. K15 million is peanuts.”
On his part, Civil Service United general secretary Ronald Chiwaula said: “This [the increase] is a very welcome development, a thing that we have waited for long, finally the gods have smiled at us teams and we really appreciate the efforts from both Sulom and the sponsor.”
His Karonga United counterpart Ramsey Simwaka said the news is what clubs were eagerly waiting for.
Zambia’s Premier League is sponsored by telecommunications network and operator MTN to the tune of $1.5 million (about K1.23 billion) per season.
Besides the MTN sponsorship, whereby each club gets $20 000 subvention (about K16.4 million), the league gets $1 million (about K821 million) a year from Supersport in TV rights.
In Tanzania, until last season, the league was sponsored by another telecommunications company Vodacom at $1.3 million (about K1.06 billion) per season whereas in Mozambique, Standard Bank sponsors the Mocambola League at $710 297.50 (about K583 million) a year plus 30 percent air travel expenses’ sponsorship and TV rights proceeds.
In Zimbabwe, Delta Beverages sponsors the Premier Soccer League at $1.3 million (about K1.06 billion) per season, excluding proceeds from TV rights.
