You are spot on Lovemore Dube ...taken from Off the Ball (Chronicle) I was taken aback yesterday to learn that of the $500,000 set aside by NetOne only $270,000 will go towards prizemoney with champions pocketing $80,000. Soccer deserves more. It appears accommodation, transport and uniforms are taking a bigger chunk of the cake. There is need to review some of these side sponsorships to ensure clubs come out winners. In the past it has been exposed that some within the sponsors’ camp cut deals through transport and uniforms in some of these tournaments leaving clubs reeling under debt. There have been glaring instances when a bus has been driven from Harare to the Lowveld to be used by Triangle or one from Bulawayo to Hwange for use by Chipangano. When teams playing in the Midlands are forced to camp in Bulawayo, it raises eyebrows. Clubs have always camped at their preferred places and should continue to do so. I will not be surprised if board members get more than clubs’ share in gatetakings. What is the logic for some of these double headers and why play Highlanders and How Mine in Gweru and deny so many interested groups a big share from the match at Barbourfields Stadium? If it is for television coverage, how much are clubs getting out of that? These soccer deals I feel need scrutiny, yes football has been so desperate to an extent that it has no appreciation of its own brand value. Hwange have their own bus that can be fuelled by the sponsors. In another issue that caught my attention last week, Highlanders were forced to play against Mamelodi Sundowns in an empty stadium. What is disturbing are reports that the Premier Soccer League president Twine Phiri is reported to have been at the meeting where the decision was passed. Sport needs people who will make decisions and stand by them and avoid confusion and bad publicity for the sport. PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele reversed the decision all in the hope of protecting Castle Lager. The good thing is he made a decision and stuck to it unlike most administrators who of late want to be seen as being in good books even with feuding camps. Resolutions passed at annual general meetings should be the guiding principle which Phiri should have brought to light at the meeting with Dynamos, Highlanders and Mamelodi Sundowns. However some situations have to be looked at on their own merits. It was not Semukwe Rangers but probably the richest club south of the Sahara coming to enhance the Castle Lager brand by playing the top two clubs. Notable is the fact that the African Champions League bound Absa Premiership holders are finding products of the Castle Lager sponsorship an attractive brand to hook up with. With almost 60 people on tour, that was a big boost for sports tourism for the country with over $60,000 spent here. Zimbabwe was well marketed and it could have been great to allow locals to watch a team so rich in talent and history like Sundowns. no other truth beyond this why have two bulawayo teams playing in gweru proves just why our soccer needs palliative care
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 16:04:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015