Voting for Standard Bank Cup teams starts Monday

Standard Bank customers across the country are this Monday expected to start voting for teams that will be involved in the preliminary knock-out stages of the competition.

The bank’s marketing head Linda Kachingwe-Sisya said: “Voting lines will be open at any of our branches to determine the four teams that will be involved in the preliminary knockout stage and the two winners will join the six other top teams as per last season’s Super League standings.”

She also said the development offers an opportunity to those that are not Standard Bank customers to open their accounts with the bank in order to take part in the exciting drive.

The six top teams for last season’s TNM Super League as well as defending champions Blue Eagles earn automatic participation.

The six teams are Silver Strikers, Escom United, Mighty Wanderers, Civo United, Moyale and Epac. 

Standard Bank Cup defending champions Blue Eagles  breathed a sigh of relief following a decision by the organisers of the tournament to allow them automatic participation in the tournament.

FAM and the sponsors  agreed a new format where six top teams from the 2011/12 Super League standings and Blue Eagles will automatically qualify to the quarter finals which will be played on home and away basis.

FAM chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda said: “This entails that only one team from the four teams that the bank’s customers will vote for, will make it to the quarter-finals. The two winners from the preliminary round will battle it out and the winner will proceed to quarter finals. Last year two teams from the voted 4 made it to the quarter-finals.”

Standard Bank has hiked the sponsorship package for its knockout cup to K20 million from K15 million that will see the winning team cashing a K7 million cheque.