The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
THE marriage between the Premier Soccer as well as their sponsors, Delta Beverages looks certain to be prolonged with details of the new sponsorship deal to emerge in the coming days.
Delta Beverages general manager lager beer business, Munyaradzi Nyandoroh announced at the Soccer Stars Awards Ceremony last Friday that the new deal has been agreed upon with both parties to bring up to date the whole country with details of the latest arrangement to be known in the not so distant future.
“The new sponsorship deal between the PSL and Delta Beverages has largely been agreed upon, some fantastic news, both parties will inform the nation on the date of the signing of the new deal,’’ Nyandoroh said.
PSL and Delta Beverages have been in talks over the sponsorship renewal since the current contract expires at the end of this year. Delta Beverages, using the Castle Lager brand have been the sponsors of the country’s elite domestic football league continuously since 2011 having also bankrolled the PSL in the 1990s up to 2004.
Clubs will be hoping for an improved deal seeing how the costs of preparing and fulfilling matches have soared due to the harsh economic environment prevailing in the country. PSL chairman Farai Jere in his address beseeched owners of stadiums to make sure that they give importance to upgrading of playing facilities.
“’We are making a humble plea to the relevant authorities to make sure that the issue of the stadiums is given the priority it deserves,” Jere said.
Jere’s appeal comes after the Confederation of African Football condemned the National Sports Stadium and Mandava Stadium for failure to meet the least prerequisites to host international matches. Caf also confirmed that only Barbourfields Stadium is conditionally approved to host matches under the auspices of the continental body.
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